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Many years ago I was a backup vocalist and flautist in a local band. Having spent most of my life prior to this being a solo musician, I am so grateful to have been able to experience 'band life', even though it was a crazy, rocky, shortlived journey, the important thing is that I got to go on the journey.

I originally wrote, "Pretty As A Picture" to be a song, not a poem. In my head, I could always hear what the song is supposed to sound like - the gentle, low tones of a ballad during the verses which lead into angry rock chick type stuff for the chorus, the coda introduces a key change (I just love a good key change towards the end of a song!) which crescendos into a big "fuck you" type finale....

Problem is, music theory was never a strong point of mine so even though I knew what to write, I didn't know how to write it. I had lyrics and a melody and that was as far as it went, the rest remains forever a figment of my imagination.

What inspired me to write this in the first place? Well, let's just say that the lead singer of our little band was a very charismatic man (as most lead singers tend to be) and after a time I saw the truth of things between us, I took off my 'rose coloured glasses' and stood up for myself....and I kept sticking up for myself each time the truth became a little bit uglier, until the time came to put an end to it altogether. "Sojourn Finale" is the sequel poem I wrote to end that little chapter of my life.

So here it is....

Pretty As A Picture

Such pretty colours, delicate texture, so beautifully framed, looked on with pleasure. No purpose, no goal, no reason to be, The picture on the wall is how you see me.

Don't treat me like a picture, there's more to me than that, I have a life with reason, you can't hold me back.

On the wall, for all to see, the pretty picture, just part of me. Turn from the wall, see what's real, understand me, know how I feel.

I'm more than just a picture there to please the eye, I am real, I have meaning, this you can't deny.

Don't treat me like a picture, don't put me on a wall, find out who I really am; before I fall.

Thanks for reading.

Click here to see the sequel poem "Sojourn Finale".

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