the piano.

She sat down silently
on that solid oak bench
and smoothly clicked on the light.
While she quietly slid her fingers into position,
she heard the familiar click of the television.
Biting her lip, she softly pressed the keys.
Steadily painting a picture of sound,
building a musical wall against her troubles.
But that wall began to crumble,
as the television slowly crescendoed in the background,
and her hopes started to diminuendo.
She trudged on,
pouring her soul onto those
sad, monochromatic ivory strips,
Trying to tune out the steady increase of the television volume.
As the roar of the tube grew louder.
Quieter and quieter she became
until there was but a whisper;
A whisper of hope left beneath
the embankment of tribulations.
A tear silently slid down her fair cheek,
as she reached up and smoothly clicked off the light.
And the ensuing darkness soon engulfed everything
except the glow of the television set.