what an ending. i love the narrative voice and how that sets up the gut punch of the last three lines. it's stunning

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buy my book. please
[link]

Very nice.

I enjoyed this a great deal, particularly the understatement of her relationship with the pianist, the detail of the phone against her neck, and the impact of the final line. My only quibble might be to ask about the inconsistencies in punctuation-- why use full punctuation in places, and not in others?
Good work, though.

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unknown command error: sleep

you're right. full stops obliterated.

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a rat became the unit of currency

this is so weird. i like it.

I would add, for my own peace:

"She laments to write again,
with passion,
and her hand heaves its dearth of sheer lament
for not luring pure feelings into adequate submission
She deserts artifacts by brumous ledges
and reprises herself alone as pared intensity"

...and offer a conditional apology for unsolicited collaboration.

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"For a self-absorbed and brooding mind, pain itself is an anodyne."—Huxley

I have nothing to say.

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REDEFINE GOD

but brandon, she doesn't.

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a rat became the unit of currency

...of course, but you're a perceptive writer. therefore, you should probably know, via more or less platitudinous verbiage, that certain "lies" tell the truth better than truth itself...and that the platitude which signifies the latter phenomenon serves merely as an intermediary link between the present work-in-itself and its Chekhovian precursor.

in other words: in all creation, does not the truth coexist and, in fact, become intertwined with lies? is not this one very premise of art/writing?

no matter how often I (or "we") paraphrase, there is still plenty left unstated regarding these matters, and therein lies that which is of greatest relevance. I spare you the exponential elaboration here on the presumption that it would be unwelcomed. rather, suffice it to state that I suspect your Berliner (but maybe I'm stereotyping) cognizes all of this in, at least, the psychological sense.

and, of course, I am curious: do you find me (at least) reasonably justified?

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"For a self-absorbed and brooding mind, pain itself is an anodyne."—Huxley