The Piano Lesson

Through the ceiling,

above my lazy fan,
sounds vividly

the knocking foot pedal,

and less distinctly
the tightly knitted notes.

Chopin perhaps,

but what do I know?

Her fingers stumble

over a gnarly etude

into a terse silence.
A distant yet sharp scolding

rises and sinks.

My fan stirs the dank air.
Plaster peels above
like an unreachable itch.

The failed notes repeat perfectly,

through different hands
but the same feet.

The thudding pedal belies

the piano learner’s obedience