Those Falling Pianos Poem by Margaret Alice

Sitting behind my computer like an astronaut
ready for take-off - wishing I could run off to
replenish flagging energy, escape momentarily
from this background of office and voices into
another context with thoughts floating freely

Even engaging with Dowrick would help, though
I disagree with what she says – advising to trust
others, accepting deception because safe in the
knowledge of survival assured – but I prefer
visualising possibilities, working it out in my mind

Before engaging with life, I trust unconditionally
and keep it that way by keeping out of the range
of strangers; even fictitious characters suffering
necessitates scrapping the events, redoing in a
better way – our emotions tell us what is coming

We can amend before the event or wait until the
piano falls on our head, then fix in retrospect, but
it will take longer to get back to feeling good, I
prefer keeping out of the way of all those
pianos falling every which way…

Stephanie Dowrick “The Universal Heart” Penguin 2000