Hush

My sister took piano
when she was twelve
and I was six.

On quiet mornings,
while the house slept
in silent seclusion,
she would float on muted feet
to an elderly upright
that stood in mother's parlor,
and practice Fur Elise
with hushed intensity.

I would sit still and small
in a faraway corner,
eating grapes off the wallpaper
in solemn contentment.