Flute

By Kelsey Schmitt

One clear note

A mark of beginning

A gauge of first attempts at excellence

Silver head twists and contracts

Then the swan-like instrument breathes

A beautifully perfect sound

Silence sweeps the stage like a curtain of night

The sheet music rolls through the mind like a dream

Fingers sleep-walking over keys

Subconsciously reading the calligraphy of the page

The last preparation

A small light of confidence

Desperately clung to

The glow warms fingertips

The starry veil is lifted

In sync with the shimmering flute

As the cold metal touches lips

Waiting for life

Thoughts pour forth

Woven into the fabric of melody

Fingers alight on keys

Then swiftly fly away

As though they were birds

Dynamics express emotions

Vivid images blown like glass

Swelling with air, colors swirling

Each note is a separate word in a universal language

The pieces ends, music folding

Breath ceases and the metallic tube is dismembered

The dark shroud falls again, tiny shards of light glittering

As sound ripples away from the stage