the red key

my auburn hair becomes sharp 

and whips against my diaphanous skin

 

i run across the grand piano

searching for the single red key

 

i scour for something

that does not exist

 

the musical phrase never resolves

in the wake of the chimerical note

 

no amount of black and white

can fill the crimson hungry void

 

i am empty and condemned 

to a life of inconsequential searching

Author's Note

i thought i was done being diagnosed, but i guess not. the disorder keeps on coming!

Reviews

[DCT ponderings]

I love the imagery of the piano and your word choices were fabulous- diaphanous and chimerical. Running your fingers along the black in white keys desperately searching for what is unattainable, the impossible. I am constantly striving to know myself a little better. I can sense the fear in this piece the what if I don't like what I find in my search.

ON a side note: Just the other day I heard a man say that all entrepreneurs think in black and white. It is one of the traits that makes them a great entrepreneur. Having been married to one I can tell you they are ever in search of the illusive next big thing, success, and will chase it to the end of time. He played the piano and i could see him running his fingers along the keys searching for the red one in business, in life and in love. I really enjoy your poetry.

[Dana Alsamsam]

this review is beautiful! you should turn that second paragraph into a poem of its own :) thank you so much for your introspective reviews- they mean a lot!

[DCT ponderings]

You are so very welcome.

[Rahul]

What you were doing at the moment in your life you captured the moments and jotted down into your words and dropped on this site... well penned write you made this write thinking the views of your life....sitting near by the fire and running across the piano to get the keys .. and so on. I just came once again on this site and kept my a.c open for a while may be so i planned to read some of your stuffs too and ....
I liked this piece, yur theme, imaginary both seemed awesome here. 100/100.

[Dana Alsamsam]

thank you!

[Richard]

I too am on a quest to find the red key ...

[Dana Alsamsam]

i wish you all sorts of luck in your journey!

[Traci]

Another very well penned piece, Dana. From your imagery to superb word choices this is one of my favorites of yours. The searching nature of this poem left me pondering the true interpretation. Layer upon layer is exposed. The human mind must now go to great lengths to accept those findings, and oftentimes that in itself is the real battle.

[Dana Alsamsam]

i agree! accepting the fact that maybe we'll always be searching is very difficult. thank you so much for reading and your kind review!

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

I like the searching nature of this piece...the way that you are looking for something that you know does not exist, and yet you still keep up the search. It is a fear of letting go, a fear of completlely understanding oneself, because what if we don't like what we find when we find it?

Loved the language in this one...being someone who admires vocabularly, you had me at "diaphanous" :) Great work here...I really enjoyed it.

[Dana Alsamsam]

yes- you hit it spot on. what lengths will the human mind go to when we don't like what is revealed... thank you so much for this insightful review, sarah!

[B-poet]

I liked the theme you've illustrated here. A particular element that drives a indescribable force beyond subsequent comprehension. Great work. An intriguing read. :)

[Astro]

I can see through your skin the key, it exists within you and can only be given not received. Your love is the key Dana, and searching within will reveal it. Then like birdsong it will resound throughout the world and be resolved and the chimera will be you. Peace and thanks for another wonderful poem.

[Dana Alsamsam]

i'm glad you liked this one! i swear your reviews are more beautiful than my poetry half the time.

[Astro]

I have my moments, but don't sell yourself short. :)

[K. Louis]

I can relate; the searching never stops and as inconsequential as it may seem...discoveries along the way always surface.

[Dana Alsamsam]

yes, so true! maybe i couldn't finish this tune, but there are so many others to discover. thank you!

[Clockwork]

The searching you speak of reminds me of Lady Macbeth scrubbing her hands in an effort to remove blood that is not really there. On another level though, I think that this one shows off a search that goes completely beyond ourselves and our physical landscape. The search of an artist with a heavy heart and a mind that is constantly in motion.

I liked the piano imagery in this one and your word choice, especially words such as diaphanous and Chimerical.

The last stanza in this one is my favorite.

[Dana Alsamsam]

oh wow yes the lady macbeth reference fits perfectly! i just learned the word chimerical and love it so much. haha words make me happy. thank you so much christian!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

you might be searching.and feel that the search is inconsequential....but you certainly are not inconsequential..and will never be. and your writing helps others understand themselves better.

[Dana Alsamsam]

wow thank you jacob! that means more to me than i can express. that my writing could help anyone with anything is an honor!