The Pugilist Pianist

Tale told of two sides
to every tragic ending
to a story that must be told.
Ghost of pleasant past,
reinforcing with every step,
that he fills the footprints
properly placed
on marble tiles and alleyways.
Against ropes
or on the bench,
he exists and persists
on both sides of the coin.

Enter the concert hall.
Know, he does not belong.
Cutting the silence, built in his mind
with a jab
at keys of ivory.
Notes and scales
float around in a composed mind.
Know, he can do nothing else.

Enter through ropes
that divide him.
Spilled into the ring,
until a ring is all that's heard.
Great expectations,
hitting through past vindications.
Without a glove to lean on,
beating the very hands that carry him.

Sold out
to stadiums
to be made idol.
Secretly stable
in his pursuits,
he is made stronger
through isolation.
Know, the perfect persona is
The Pugilist Pianist.