Shirley

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Jan 8th is Dame Shirley Bassey's birthday. I have been a Shirley Bassey fan for many years. One of my favourite numbers is probably a lesser known song called I Reach for the Stars. (Check it out on You Tube, folks.)  It is a beautiful song; as always, this incredible lady does it more than justice.

It was a great thrill to see how electrifying this amazing woman continues to be at the recent Jubilee concert that was part of her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

No poem can do justice to Dame Shirley Bassey’s unique talent, but I hope this villanelle will go some way towards expressing express my personal admiration and gratitude for years of first class entertainment.

Photo: Dame Shirley Bassey [Internet photo.]

Update (April 2016): A 20ft high gold-painted statue of Dame Shirley Bassey by artist Marc Rees, Caenarfon Castle, 2016. [Internet photo]

SHIRLEY

Feisty tigress from The Bay,

inimitable mistress of popular song,

stealing our hearts away

Burning passion holding sway,

heartfelt feeling for right and wrong;

feisty tigress from The Bay

Gesturing for love to have its say

where tears for its fears, too, belong,

stealing our hearts away

Bringing life to shades of grey,

to wintry spirits the delights of spring,

feisty tigress from The Bay

A voice, lifting the darkest day

like a sunburst where clouds still cling,

stealing our hearts away

Go the stars, the Bassey way,

a rare privilege just to be tagging along;

feisty tigress from The Bay,

stealing our hearts away

Copyright R. N. Taber 2012

[Note: 'The Bay' refers to the Tiger Bay area of Cardiff, South Wales, where Shirley Bassey was born.]