piano lessons at 6:30 PM while thinking about

By Rue Huang

chemistry. atoms, the way they 
vibrate in infinitesimal space, the 
still keys, waiting for me. my 
hands, in Perpetuum Mobilé: writing out homework, 
tapping keyboards, folding laundry. atoms, how when my foot sinks into
the pedal, i am not really touching it. the electric fields between our
existences repel: it is not possible 
for touch, only closer and closer 
and closer, climbing into the sun. 
when was the last time i played without thinking of something coming, closer?
in 2016 i marveled that 
one could ever forget about the 
music notes engraved into our souls. 
our beings, wreathed in chromosomes, 
exactly half of mine spilled onto a 
piano. yet now i play Liebestraum in 
a lesson and wonder why i am thinking 
of atom. of laundry, of chemistry, of 
the way my fingers have forgotten 
the delicate, scalloped edges of music.

Hallie Dong is a writer from the Mid-Atlantic. Her work has been recognized by the Scholastic Art and Writing Alliance, Aster Lit, The Blue Marble Review, and TribLive, among others. She currently contributes as photography editor & opinion writer for her school newspaper. While she’s not consuming her body weight in blueberries, you can find her debating something philosophical with friends, or running with her track team! You can find her on Instagram @ewwitshallie.