lady on the piano

i woke up pretty late today. getting out of bed has been rather difficult lately. i have accepted that it's just something that i go through regularly every couple of weeks. i could wake up perfectly fine for a few days straight and suddenly it becomes darned difficult. i think i've grown accustomed to it and come to think of it, i don't actually mind it.

i proceeded to take a shower and start my day. i've sort of established a route from home to city whereby i stop one station just before the main street in the city and walk across the bridge at yarra river. it's a very beautiful sight crossing the bridge no matter how the weather is and i find it rejuvenating. the next question after crossing the bridge is usually where should i get my coffee today. for me, that's one of the best questions ever and one i wouldn't mind answering any day.

i don't have classes today but i made it a point to just go out and get something done. so i went to the city library, took a seat, took out my laptop and started doing stuff. checked mails, social networks, chat .. the stuff people associate with using the internet nowadays. it's actually scary how attached we are to these online stuff considering how it keeps us on a permanent state of anxiety. plus it's ever growing and it just keeps getting bigger. it's also a habitual thing and you know just how hard it is to control habits.

anyways, after a while i took off my earphones because it's getting uncomfortable and that's when i heard someone playing the piano across the hall. it sounded impressive and got to my attention. i figured i'd go take a break, get a cup of coffee and on the way out stop by and check out who's playing. i packed my bags and took off, at the same time hoping no one takes my seat while i'm gone.

as i peeked behind the piano to see who's playing, i was pleasantly surprised to see an old lady dressed in haggard clothes passionately pressing and moving her fingers across the keys. there were already a few people watching. she placed her cart laden with white plastic bags filled with all sorts of stuff beside her while she played. by the looks of it, she might be a homeless person. at the time, all that didn't matter because the music she played and the sight of watching her play has already filled the moment and left no room for anything else to come through. she played really beautifully and her hands moved gracefully as if it never aged. she gave a bright smile after finishing a song and everyone clapped. after a couple of songs she thanked everyone and left. by that time, the number of people watching had quadrupled. i remember her saying, 'i felt like playing, thank you'.

i went downstairs and i saw her sitting on one of the benches and to my surprise, she was sleeping. it didn't look comfortable, but i really hope she had a good rest.

after all, she probably just felt like sleeping.