Bleeding Keys



Splintering and missing keys
With splendor
the old piano bleeds
Out of tune
it sweetly cries
Left outside

Set aside
Cracked it sits through Winter’s freeze
Every once in a while a player tries
To get old keys to surrender
Under clouded moon
A bit of care is what it needs

To true love this piano heeds
A melody buried deep inside
Beautiful the dying croon
Still alive, it cries, through stiffened keys
Tattered, tough, yet tender
Struggling ivory begins to seize

The piano cries calm to restless breeze
its cries tame restless needs
Standing still in graceful splinter
Standing left remains outside
Found abandoned suddenly the piano frees
Not to landfill will this piano surrender

Full of soul the drifter’s tune
Weeping the piano holds up with pride
Evoking dreams with old soul ease
Secret cries a piano pleads
Many lost piano keys

 Such life a piano sees
 With soul this piano bleeds
 Many soul this piano frees

About this poem

I wrote this poem during a period of time in my younger years when I was homeless in the Winter time, grieving a lost child, and playing abandoned pianos to boost my spirits during sleepless nights. Playing piano is one of my passions.

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Written on June 23, 2023

Submitted by LemonRose on September 27, 2023

49 sec read
44

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCDEF FAEBDC CFDABA ACBFAB DFACA ACA
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 925
Words 165
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6, 5, 3

Discuss the poem Bleeding Keys with the community...

1 Comment
  • ljsanders
    This poem is about a sad , old piano, which has been abandoned, outside to the elements.It is full of pathos and the imagery, is one of neglect and decadence.Yet, it still can muster a soulful sad tune, from it's keys.I found this poem a bit unusual, and being musical myself, I identified with it.I couldn't help feeling sorry for the piano!
    There were many poems I wanted to select, but I had a job to narrow it down to this one. 
    LikeReply6 months ago

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"Bleeding Keys" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/170361/bleeding-keys>.

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