Stars twinkled in the sky
The moon smiled its Cheshire grin
Under the bows of a great oak tree
In the light of a cloudless night
He sat at his piano
Fingers caressing the keys
They danced across the instrument
A mournful melody echoed through the night
Close, very close
Almost touching
A lake reflected the midnight musician
And the light of a cloudless night
And the image of him sitting at a piano
In the reflection
Began to change
Waves rippled across it
Disturbing it
As the water settled
The reflection changed
A teenage boy
Nervous
Shy
Watching a pretty girl across the lunch room
The water rippled
The music slowed down
As the reflection changed again
And a young man appeared
A romantic restaurant around him
Laughing over the light of a candle
The pretty girl, older, smiling back at him
The music crooned
The water rippled
The man was older
He stood beneath an arch of roses
The pretty woman walking towards him
She was dressed all in white
Veil about her face
The music murmured as the water rippled
As the reflection changed
And the woman smiled down
Holding a baby
The man holding them both
Looking into the babies eyes
His own eyes reflected back
Then rippled away
The music reached a low hum
A middle aged man stood with his wife
A car loaded with luggage pulled away
They waved it goodbye
The man put his arm around his wife
As she cried into his shoulder
The music rose into a shrill piercing
And the waves danced across the water
Barely settling enough to see
The man with graying hair
Wrinkles developing on his features
Leaning over her bed
Her face gaunt
The hospital gown loose on her body
The water vibrated
The music reached a crescendo
As the water settled, the reflection was different
The midnight musician stood next to a coffin
Alone
Rain pounded the wooden lid
A single black rose was placed on the casket
The image rippled
The music faded
Illustration credit: Maya Willis 2016