In the Music School

Personal Reflection 1 Minute 
There's the little girl
whose shoes are shorter than my hands;
who stands on tiptoe to see through the windowed door;
whose fingers on the keys sound confident and strong;
whose mother cups the back of her daughter's head protectively;
or is she just keeping warm from that tiny spring of energy?

There's the tall teenage girl with short, short hair
whose footfall is softer than snow on the carpet;
who seems to bend into walls like a cast shadow;
who nods hello but her voice is inaudible
and her smile seems to repeat "sorry. i'm so sorry" over and over again.
She vanishes into a room, like mist into the sky
and I lose her from my mind without meaning to.
What instrument does she play?

There's the family of four who troop in like soldiers
each armed with the right sized violin
and the right sized school uniform
and the right sized smile.
I hear them soon, their tuneful sawing
and imagine them practising all in their rooms
but the sound leaking out to Mum cooking dinner
the beginnings of an orchestra - fledgeling and sweet.

There's a girl with long hair who shrugs deeply into her tracksuit
her hands disappearing like her eyes behind her fringe.
And yet she looks graceful and her violin becomes her
and her smile is as fresh as new coloured pencils.
She chats to somebody's mother;  uncomfortable but polite;
her eyes often seeking out the cracks between the ceiling tiles

And there's the drums - crashing through the double thickness door
and wall insulation and loving their own racket in wholesome dispute.
"That's my son!" I smile to myself. He's finding his thunder already.
And I think of his grin as he makes the whole house dance
with his epic vibrations and the irrepressible rhythm in his soul.

It's nice to sit here with nothing to do but wait for my children
and yet ...  and yet I'm just itching to sit down at a piano.

Published by abigfatcanofworms

We all walk in the dark. But if we hold hands, perhaps the dark won't be as scary.

Published

16 thoughts on “In the Music School”

  1. This is just brilliant! Well done. I really enjoyed it. It is an early contender for my favourite three posts of 2021 which I intend to post at the end of the year.
    One of my sons learned the guitar, the other the drums. Boy, those drums could shake your teeth loose!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. actually I’d go along with Hobbo: this is really first grade material with too many good lines to quote; it’s clever, unhurried, penetrating and compassionate. I’m going to have a few more reads —

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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