Pianist by Bradley Thomas

The air of coffee, bacon, eggs and toast still lingers in the air 

The pianist sits down to his piano to play a short etude

Before he begins work on Rachmaninoff’s Piano concerto No 3

A piece from his childhood, setting him on his path for piano

Stephen Heller, Op 45, No 24 – Over Hill and Dale




His fingers flow with energy

As his memory remembers the diligence of the piece –

Continuous legato in the right hand in broken triads

With a mobile wrist in ascending and descending movements

Damper pedaling so the left hand staccato notes echo clearly




Remembering going to his piano lessons with his mother

Traveling on the El in Chicago to his tutor 

With the etude done, he immediately goes into the concerto

Putting on the finishing touches before he performs tonight

For his community, the passion of his work
























Bradley Thomas was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana. He received a B.A. for Georgia State University in Business Administration. He currently works for the government of Fulton County, Georgia and lives in Norcross, Georgia. On the weekends plays electric bass for his church. Bradley’s poems have appeared in the poem anthology books Whispers of Inspiration and The Colors of Life.