REFLECTIONS IN A CHANDELIER

Cheryl Hubbard

She sets up her cello, under an open window
in the old palazzo on Fondamenta delle Tette
beside the worn, algae-lined stone bridge.
Moonlight filters through the swollen clouds,
casting intermittent slivers of silver
onto the dark void of the creeping canal.

A flicker of molten amber catches her eye,
through the window a chandelier glistens,
illuminating echoes of dark, lonely shadows.
The apartment emanates elegance and grace,
the tinkling of the crystal is intoxicating,
hypnotic, she is mesmerized, a tear falls.

She wants to look away, she is intruding,
the heartbreak of the woman is potent,
crying alone under the antique chandelier,
mingling with the melodic notes of
the cello below, accompanied in a melody
of despair – a sorrowful, musical duet.

The woman moves towards the window,
looking down at the young cello player,
their eyes connect, and for a second,
the pain of love and loss is shared.
The cello plays whilst the chandelier casts flaming
sparks onto the woman’s dark, cascading hair.
Familiarity and foreboding are the symphony.

The cello’s bow is an extension, she lets it
glide over the strings, enchanting her soul.
Music comes from within – echoing emotion.
Images of passion and stolen moments,
she needs to end this toxic, consuming affair.

She opens her eyes, the chandelier beckons,
casting golden light onto a couple, now at
the window, intensely embracing, all pain forgotten.
They draw apart and the man glances down
at the young cello player, their eyes connect;
in a moment, betrayal, adultery and truth are shared.