down the street from carnegie hall

passing by a piano showroom tonight,

i went back and stood at the window,

in front of that venerable brand, Steinway & Sons,

rising from a concrete ledge in old brassy letters.

silent black grands and baby grands gleam in the dark,

patiently waiting for someone to come and play them,

and fill the air with musical notes, crescendos and pianissimos.

i looked at them as someone might eye cars in a showroom,

wanting to take one out for a spin, wondering how it would handle,

and a part of me that had long lain dormant was suddenly awakened,

this unfamiliar feeling of longing catching me quite by surprise.