Graduation – Skirtingroundmylife

This poem is one of the most personal I have ever written. It is based on meeting an old friend from my university days and attempting to imagine how she would explain my transition to those of our friends that she still keeps in touch with from those times. I have of course made a few demographic changes to make it more like a poetic story and more relatable to the reader but believe me this poem is more semi autobiographical than it may first appear. I’ve given it the title From Dad To Diana as suggested by my friend and fellow blogger Charlotte Dougall I hope you enjoy the read.

From Dad To Diana

He was always the brainbox at school

sensible played by the rules

kept himself smart

buried his head in the books

went to university got a degree in geography

that was his route out of poverty

moved from the scheme to the west end

married well found a woman

who let him express his feminine side

she was an architect if I remember right

I met him in town with his three daughters

it had been over 20 years since graduation

he was now she and all dolled up

she said she was living full time as a woman

told me it made her feel more human

and the lassies are cool with her switching

from dad to Diana

the youngest said the name suits her

it let’s her be herself and she’s happier now

than she’s ever been

it’s such a shame she had to live with this secret

since her early teens

I had always wondered why

she had dressed as a woman at Halloween

and smiled more than she did

for the rest of the year

I see it clearer now

it was the only night

she could really be herself.

and when all else is said and done

she deserves to have the fun

that Cyndi Lauper sang about time after time

in the years when she should have been dancing

On Wednesday afternoon I was invited to a recital of traditional music by a gifted young fiddler by the name of Katie Allen . The recital was themed round the influence of Women in traditional music and was both entertaining and engaging. I love the fact she put women front and centre of performance and paid generous and well deserved tributes to those women who had taught her and influenced her musical direction. Having had the privilege of attending this recital I would recommend this fabulous fiddle player to anyone and look forward to seeing a lot more of her in the future. Of course it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t commemorate the occasion with a poem to mark it. I have given it the title Recital I hope you enjoy the read.

Recital

Invited to a lunchtime recital

by a promising young musician

I accepted without delay

I loved the ambition of her concert

putting women centre stage

highlighting female musicians and composers

from the traditional music scene

in a showcase themed around

what it means to be female

every piece was played by women for women

with tunes written from women’s stories

held in women’s hearts

leaving the audience enchanted

as a brilliant young fiddler

shone like the afternoon sun

and transported me on a journey

to contentment

as I and the audience went with her

she symbolised how quickly things

can change from mellow to stormy

then back to calmer waters

and the stillness of private thoughts

men will never know.

to celebrate sisterhood

she invited girlfriends to share her stage

but started and finished on her own

an independent woman values company and alone time

for 45 minutes she scattered the angel dust of memories

in to thoughts she will harvest later

in tunes which have yet to be written

that the world is waiting to hear