Toy Piano Played And Playing

[to my grandmother, Lucy W. Young
to my sister Sharon, pianist extraordinaire, even then...]

blue note, green note, red note, silver or gold note
purple note purple purple just for the sound of it
over and over on the rainbow keys the chiming ones

the ones you remember in the playroom painted pale blue
pale blue note, blue note, green note, red, rose red note
on a summer afternoon and the silver or gold the angel

notes the rewards of Christmas and coming to rest
at the end of the measure the snow notes, snow!
that's where the music soaks in like light in the summer

afternoon spilling onto the round round rug
with the roses on it close to the rocking chair or the
rose note, rose note, fairytale note and pedaled.

and petals, petals, flower notes flower, flower, 
treble and tremble raindrop note, raindrop raindrop
plip plop note in the lavender afternoon and the scent

of dreams, cool sheets for the babies fitful at naptime
resting in music, resting like roses in the rose flower bed
and hearing the angel notes fly overhead a sprinkle

of foil stars rewarding the pages learned
the pages of music turning on the stand
blown by the unseen breeze from the baby backyard close at hand

both hands together
and the nightlit prayers and rose of the moon
shining through shining through

us as if we were music's window pane early morning frosted
or growing up to be
blue, note red note, green one streaming eternally

from the simple chimed and chimed and chimed
oh my dears, for you, for you!

through the cirrus, the citrus afternoons clear
into the Sublime.

mary angela douglas 12 april 2015