Princess Diana
"Just yesterday morning/They let me know you were gone/The plans they made put an end to you..." Fire and Rain, James Taylor
Princess Diana was a beautiful woman who didn't deserve to die the way she did. She was kind, charitable, and loving. Even in the worst of times, she was a beacon for all the world.
"Through all the tumult and the strife/I hear it's music ringing/It sounds an echo in my soul/How can I keep from singing..." How Can I Keep From Singing, Enya
I was watching MST3K last night when my father came down to tell me, "Lady Di is dead.". At first I thought it was a sick joke. But no, it was true. After 16 years of being hassled by the press, it all came to a tragic end.
"A camera pans the cocktail hour/Behind a blind of potted palms/And finds a lady in a Paris dress..." The Boho Dance, Joni Mitchell
I held my own candlelight vigil for Princess Di. I lit candles, burned two sticks of my precious San Francisco incense, listened to Enya, and cried a little. The beautiful Diana is gone.
"And these visions of Diana/Kept me up past the dawn..." Diana, Bob Dylan
In 1981, she was young, fresh, and unready for the burden the press would lay on her shoulders. But she took it with stride. Di never came across as arrogant or snotty. She was never too good for anyone.
"They think I think I am important/I know I never was, I wasn't/No I never, and how could I be..." The Great Unknown, Dar Williams
Even after her 1996 divorce from Prince Charles, Diana was still the Princess, if only in our minds. She did charity work, visited stricken countries, and proved what a difference a person can make.
"Oh I am the brainchild, I am the mortar/ With a plastic trophy and an eating disorder/ And a vision as big as a great big wall..." The Great Unknown, Dar Williams
I send my grief and my love to Diana's family and friends. She was a sweet bird and now she is free.
"Sweet bird you are/Briefer than a falling star/All these vain promises on beauty jars/Somewhere with your wings on time/You must be laughing.../Sweet bird of time and change/You must be laughing/Up on your feathers laughing..." Sweet Bird, Joni Mitchell