Fall Writing Frenzy Contest 2021
Fall is here! I’m welcoming the change with a new story I wrote for The Fall Writing Frenzy Contest. I loved writing this piece and I hope you enjoy it. Please leave a comment — I’d love to hear from you!
Thank you to, Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez and Lydia Lukidis and Ameerah Holliday, for this wonderful opportunity. Thank you to the donors for your generosity.
And thank you to my critique partners for your feedback and support.
Rules: Maximum 200 words. Image prompts provided.
MAESTRO
By Rosanna Montanaro
187 Words
You wait for me each day.
I smile.
Hi, daddy.
My little deuce coupe,
you say, from your bed.
Play my music!
Beethoven and Beach Boys,
Moonlight Sonata and Moon Dawg.
Life is both, you sing,
and everything in between!
Show me! I’d say,
when I was young, wrapped in your arms.
You loved to point and call out,
La luna!
Sitting next to you,
on the piano bench,
the metronome counted the beats.
Tock. Tock. Tock.
Soothing me, like a lullaby.
I’d watch you play,
skilled fingers sliding across the keys.
Now your gifted hands
are placed in mine.
I dance in the hospital room.
I dance for you, daddy.
You say to the nurse,
Look!
She’s my world.
She’s my little deuce coupe,
and she’s showing me the moon.
Memories.
Tempo.
Crescendo.
Speed up.
Slow down.
I collect the songs,
the soundtrack of our lives.
Counting beats.
Tock. Tock. Tock.
Maestro, don’t go.
My little deuce coupe.
You say it one last time.
I step outside the hospital.
The silvery clouds
reveal
the moon.
In tears, I bravely say,
La luna!
Bravo, maestro.
Bravo, daddy.
Sad and touching. A poignant story.
Thanks so much, Debra. Appreciate it!
This is so beautifully done! So much heart.
Thank you Allison! 🙂 I appreciate you reading my entry and for taking the time to let me know!
Wow! Simply beautiful and so. emtoional!
Thank you so much, Christine!
Congratulations on this amazingly beautiful piece. I could feel every word and appreciated your perfect selection – ‘the soundtrack of our lives’ really hit me. This is very special.
Thank you Chris! I’m so glad it resonated. I appreciate your words so much! Thanks again 🙂
Wow, all the feels. Sweet ending.
Oh, you pulled my heartstrings and left them aching at the end. What a beautiful poem.
Thank you for reading!
You do a fantastic job of drawing the reader along with the deep emotions in the scenes.
And now I need to go listen to some “little deuce coope…”
Lol, thanks so much, Katie! 🙂
Well, there you go, making me cry. Good luck with this awesome writing.
Aww, Melissa! Hope it was a good cry! Thank you for reading! Appreciate this so much!
Wow, full of beauty and emotion. Great job!
Thanks so much, Jana! Appreciate it!
Awww, so touching! Beautiful job. 🙂
This is such a touching piece. So much love felt in these words.
So beautiful! All those evocative images, lovely word choices, and such a pleasant forward movement throughout. I so enjoyed reading this, Rosanna.
Thank you so much, Sarah! I’m so glad! Appreciate your comments.
This is so beautiful, Rosanna. A wonderful tribute and a lovely poem.
Thank you so much, Sue! 🙂
It brought back memories of my own dad❤️
This is so beautiful, Rosanna! You’ve capture their love in such a lyrical, moving way!
Thank you Alicia!! Appreciate it. Hope you’re well 🙂
This was lovely! I believe you will touch many with your story. You touched me:)
Thank you so much, Colleen! That makes me so happy! Thank you!!
This is a lovely and unique story. A much different direction and more personal path than many of us did.
The picture at the end just melts my heart! This is so beautiful! 🙂
So much love in every single word. Brilliant work of the heart.
Melanie! Thank you!
Wow, so powerful. Love your take on this photo, Rosanna!
Thanks so much, Brenda. Thank you for reading!
Gorgeous writing! Writing about music is so hard to do, but you caught your father’s song in your words and played it beautifully.
Carrie, I appreciate this so much – especially coming from you! Thanks so much for reading!
This is so lovely! What an original idea from this photo prompt. Good luck!
Thank you Diana! 🙂
A lovely and touching tribute. Beautiful writing!
Thank you, Susan!
Such a touching story. It should come with a box of Kleenex. What a beautiful tribute.
Thank you so much!