Living on the razor's edge...can be deadly.......

This is a painting loosely depicting Billie Holiday, in my view one of the greatest Jazz singers ever. For those of you not familiar with her, please check her out on the net, YouTube, or wherever you can find one of her recordings. She was also called "Lady Day", and the white gardenias in her hair was her trademark/thing.

White gardenias,

a velvet voice,

a life of struggles,

not by choice.

A turbulent childhood,

on the streets of Harlem,

too often abandoned,

yet eventually stardom.

Juvenile court

at the age of nine,

a truant, a rebel,

with a voice divine.

Not yet fourteen

yet a lady of the night,

for just a few dollars,

no longer a child.

Then a change,

 she started to sing,

working in nightclubs,

learning to swing.

A man of importance,

impressed by young Billie,

a recording the offer,

with swing-man Benny.

She sang her way

into peoples hearts,

her reputation grew,

as her songs climbed the charts.

Though admired 

and loved by many,

the colour of her skin,

often an enemy.

She sought solace

and peace of mind,

at the bottom of the bottle

and drugs of many kinds.

She looked for love

in all the wrong places,

with disastrous outcomes

and dire consequences.

But Billie kept singing,

in spite of her demons,

in spite of her pain,

and her broken feelings.

Billie was born on a razor's edge,

but in spite of this, may I allege,

it was a life deeply profound,

and beneficial to all of mankind.

 A life on the razor's edge,

is a dangerous life to live,

cuts and scars are givens

for all of those who try.

(Citizen Z)

"You can be up to your boobies in white satin, with gardenias in your hair and no sugar cane for miles, but you can still be working on a plantation." (Billie Holiday, 1915-1959)