Piano
Softly

You welcome yourself to a barren stage
Curtains are drawn and lights are low
Papers are strewn here and there
Old music that no one wanted to play

Your eyes wander over this desolation
All that stands is a lone piano
Dust covers its hammers and strings
No music sits on its stand

You wander over aimlessly
Hands meander over eighty-eight untouched keys
Lightly touching, not a note sounds
Except for one

The sound lingers in the air, filling the stage
You press another, unable to contain yourself
Before long your hands move on their own accord
And they start to play

Soft staccatos start you off
Your trepidation holds you back
Every note is perfectly punctuated
You're too afraid to stray

Staccatos slowly form into legatos
As your left hand hesitantly joins
The air is pregnant with solemn melancholy
That is all your heart wants to yield

You bring yourself to play louder
Only slightly, your fear still ruling you
You nearly stop, the volume dropping abruptly
Every press of every key is evermore afraid

You're back to the basic melody
Your hands make notes shorter and simpler
They beg for complexity, for more
Can you give it to them?

You unwillingly give them what they want
Adding notes here and there to appease them
You barely notice you start to grow louder
You barely notice your music filling the room

Your emotions become increasingly evident
Every dramatic phrase, every legato slur
Every bit of fear, every bit of pain and anguish
Everything is poured onto the piano

You pause, your heart beating fast
The notes continue to linger
You catch your breath, you wait another second
Your play again, softly

Your fingers play your last quiet notes
A few last staccatos to end your sonata
Your hands slip off the keys and fall to your sides
Your eyes are wet, but you remember no tears

There is no clapping, no cheering audience
You sneak off the stage and shut off the lights
You can still hear the poignant melody playing in your ears
It plays piano, softly

Extra Notes: I got inspired by the song "Zanarkand" by Nobuo Uematsu (from Final Fantasy X). I wanted to write something, but I couldn't find the topic I wanted. All of a sudden, I listened to this song and started writing. Tell me what you think-- it's been a while since I've posted something here.