In memory of PRINCESS DIANA (1961-1997)
Diana, Princess of Wales (a.k.a. the Queen of Hearts, the People's Princess), died in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997, along with her boyfriend Dodi al Fayed and their driver, after they were chased by paparazzi on motorcycles. It was the end not only of 2/3 of the year, but of an era that had begun in 1981 when Lady Diana Spencer, popularly known for short as Di, married Britain's Charles, Prince of Wales. After the era of the Beatles had ended with the murder of John Lennon the previous year, I believe that the marriage of Charles and Di allayed the grief of millions worldwide; the world was given a new fairy tale to be obsessed with. That tale turned sour in 1996 when the royal couple divorced, just as the previous tale had soured with the Beatles' breakup in 1970. The Di era ended as tragically and violently as the previous era had. In the following poem, I memorialize her in a way that a musician would:
Goodbye, Princess Di
You had a smile so bright, you could've been a candle (1)
Your death was far too much for anyone to handle
You felt so broke up, you wanted to leave home (2)
Because the press wouldn't leave you alone
Diana, you lit up so many a life
Fate should have made you a more caring man's wife (3)
The world's a ball of confusion (4)
Now that you have died
I ain't too proud to beg (5) of the press
To allow celebs a place to hide
Goodbye, Princess Di
Fly high in the friendly sky (6)
--Collins Crapo, Idaho Falls, ID, USA
REFERENCES:
1. The Way You Do The Things You Do--the Temptations
2. Sloop John B--the Beach Boys
3. Amanda--Waylon Jennings
4. Ball Of Confusion--the Temptations
5. Ain't Too Proud To Beg--the Temptations
6. Sad Tomorrows--Marvin Gaye
Back to My Personal Homepage