The morning news a few days ago featured a story about a grand piano that mysteriously appeared on a sandbar in Florida's Biscayne Bay. One week later, a young man acknowledged responsibility and claimed that he placed the piano in the bay as an artistic statement. Nothing supremely remarkable about the story except that it reminded me of another piano in another odd place.
Some twenty years ago, we were driving southwest through the foothills of the Missouri Ozarks. The scenery is beautiful and peaceful, mostly small farms, pastures and ponds interspersed with forested hillsides. Rounding a curve that day, we came upon a small grassy valley in which we thought we saw a piano. Too quickly it passed from sight but on our return visit, we were able to slow down a bit and confirm that indeed, there it stood, all alone, an old upright piano! It sat on what appeared to be a wood or concrete platform, maybe the foundation of a building that had long since disappeared. The piano stood like a testament, solitary and upright, but sadly unprotected and exposed to the elements. So neglected now, was it once someone's pride and joy? Did loving fingers render Chopin, Beethoven and Mozart from its keys or did clumsy little hands try to coax a simple Chopsticks or Jingle Bells? So many stories were possible - it was fun to pose theories about the owner of the piano (and the vanished house!)
(This is a composed photo that closely approximates the appearance of the lonely piano.)
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