The Melody of Her Pulse

It's hard to keep time, even if you have a metronome at your side.

The Melody of Her Pulse

The melody of her pulse
belongs to a strange time signature
whenever he draws near enough
to pluck at the shaking chords of her shaking mind.

She understands his reticence
as clearly as she understands her own.
She understands the arrhythmic absence
of his sympathies and glances.

She hides from it all.
She hides from his silence
and loudness is the only thing
that will ever draw her out.

And the melody of her pulse rests for two beats
and the first note slurs for three;
the timbre of her heartbeat drops without warning
from treble clef to bass.

But she has valor.
She trills the proper notes
but at an octave or seven too high;
she splays her fingers over the piano keys.

Her fingers slip -
too many b sharps and d flats thrown in with all the naturals.
The metronome ticks on, unheeded.

Both feet are on the pedals -
all three pedals, all three -
and she tries to fill in for the missing notes with slurs and the sostuneto.

But the silence is there.
Her ears are ringing with all the sounds flying from the strings
and her pulse throbs strangely against her skin
but she feels the broken quiet all the same.

It's all in the technique.
The proper finger movements, the training.
By the time she moves on to the G scale, she says,
she'll have forgotten that he was never there.

The melody of her pulse refuses to follow
the time signature she set for herself.
But she can't stop - she fears the silence
because loudness is the only thing that will ever draw her out.

Reviews

[reflectingus]

This piece is intriguing. I just love the musical allusion to this whole poem, and the way you blended it all as one, just flawless. The descriptions are very precise, and perfect, and for some reason, I feel like reading this poem quietly, and slowly, devouring each meaning. I also love the way you repeated the last line from the middle of the poem, it just worked its magic, and ended the poem perfectly. I'm so glad I could understand all those musical words because I did learn how to read music a few years back, for my clarinet lol, so yes, I could understand it. But either ways, the rhythm created is amazing, seriously, I love this poem a lot.

[Sugar Plum ♥]

the idea is amazing, and all of it! I love the sience fiction tones in it, loved the details in description ...
Thank you...

[Rae Emeral]

This is awesome. You use such wonderful descriptions that really paint a picture in my mind! I love it. Simply beautiful.
~Rae Emeral

[Hiddenfire]

Wow. There are very few pieces that leave me stunned, fewer still that I find online and not in books, but this one really blew me away. I mean this poem is simple yet very complex and I could spend all day trying to figure out how to dissect it and understand it properly or more accurately fully! The emotions crash and soar like the tune it talks about trying to play and it all comes rallying together for an ending that is deserving of a standing ovation. I'm glad I read it, thanks for the read.

[Divinity Sleeps in This]

Sort of haunting Mina, a nice quality to your tone.

[Coyote Poetry]

This is amazing poetry. I wish I had the skill to bring the reader into deep thoughts and emotion like you did in this poem. The use of music and strong description gave life to this poem. A strong ending to a outstanding poem.
Coyote

[Sarah Deckard]

I love the way the protagonist fights against the silence with music to help her forget, even though the metronome cannot regulate her pulse (aka emotions). The rhythms of the body can't be set to a timer, so she must wait for the heartbreak to ease. But, in the meantime, she valiantly attempts to create a beautiful distraction through her art. Your words evoke the dissonance between what her heart remembers and what her mind tells her is best for her future. Very moving.
The only thing that I might suggest you change is the use of the word of the word "shaking" twice in one line. You might say "trembling chords of her shaking mind." However, you may have meant to connect the "mind" and "chords" strongly by using the same adjective for both. If so, I might still recommend using a synonym for "shaking" in one of the instances. Readers will still make the connection and yet not be jolted out of the mood by the repetition of the same word so soon.

[Brandon S. Whitten]

Enjoyed the journey. I was wanting to hear her play. Feel the music pluck each heartstring. Beautiful.

[Wretched Knight]

It is really lovely. I was gonna say the same thing as from icel. You seem older. Your words are excellent. I can see the picture perfectly in my head and feel what you are saying.

[from İçel]

I refuse to believe you are only 16 writing like this...are you really? Bravo. I think you chose words that aptly described the mood you were aiming for. Is this coming from an experience, a performance you had?