CILLA

Not the TV host with a brazen giggle
Winding up the gormless on ‘Blind Date’
Or tugging tears on ‘Surprise Surprise’
Nor the glittering star, clutching champagne
In morose interviews after Bobby’s death
Her grief bubbling up
Pressing behind aching eyes

But the fragile, stick thin girl
Trembling on stage
Warmed only by a single
And cruel spotlight
Picking out every contour
Of her talented being
Every minor blemish

And the powerful
Heart rending voice
Echoing from Liverpool
To New York and back
The sound of triumph 
And of sorrow
Of joy and of warning

Calling constantly
Like ships passing
On dangerous tides
Up and down
The River Mersey.

David Subacchi
August 2015.