I Play Nostalgic Songs

I’m like Billy Joel,
playing nostalgic songs
that everyone knows—
I’m in a wheelchair
at a community piano.

I play for the tips
as the crowd shuffles by,
tapping the white and black keys
for everyone but me,
blocking out the things
that have gone wrong,
the voices in my head,
the accusing whispers.

I keep playing until it gets dark,
until the black crows
stop cawing
and scatter from the branches,
until the lights go out
and the streets are barren.

When my concert is over,
I flex my cramped fingers,
pull the fallboard over the keys,
count the dollars and loose change
and roll down the street
to my makeshift abode.