Puppet to These keys

Trying to get that one piano piece perfect.

                                              

                                            slipping and sliding across the ivory keys so 

                                           gently weaving harmonies from thin air when...

your finger skids across a F instead of an E.

Mortified you stop. 

and begin again. 

and just like before,

your fingers dance from left to right

white to black

and like you did before...

you miss the E and tap the F.

There isn't a single F note played in the entire song.

so you...

yank out the useless F.

and toss it to the ground.

then you get to thinking...

why would i need any of these other F keys?

and you never once touch the major scale...

So you rip those out as well.

Nineteen keys lie detached from the frayed piano strings on the cold floor.

Finally

you get it right.

you play the melody over and over

until..

you can play it with your eyes closed. 

So life goes on and everyday you practice that same song. 

And you know what?

thats great.

you will never make a mistake again.

but you know what else?

you will also never progress.

you are now bound to this elementary tune.

you are a puppet to these keys. 

Realizing the piano has nothing left to offer...

you put it away in the basement

where it will slowly age away.

you will never make it as a pianist if you cannot use all the keys. 

and you will never make it as a writer if you are to afraid of what potential creativity you have.