Eulogy for C Minor, Harp Solo

By Anne Wilkins

Dear Diary,

I played a final tune on the harp today with my arthritic hands.

Seven painful D notes from Camille Saint-Saëns, “Danse Macabre,” the Dance of Death.

Tomorrow my rebirth begins, again.

We have the child already, C, a young, pretty thing, plucked from the local orphanage. Healthy, with long, strong fingers. I hear her whimpering from my bedroom, fretting for a dead mother.

She’ll soon forget after the transfer.

They always do.

Fading to nothing as I settle myself in.

Tomorrow, I’ll play Barry Conyngham’s “Awakening” on the harp.

With new, long, strong fingers.

I’m looking forward to that.