The Black Pearl
She was a beautiful black American woman,
Who acted, danced and sang her way to fame;
She may have come from humble beginnings,
But she was to die a household name.
Josephine was sent to work at the age of 8,
Bringing home money for the family pot;
Abused and mis treated by harsh employers,
Though Just a child she endured an awful lot.
At the age of 12 she ran away from her school,
She was homeless, living in a cardboard box;
She began strutting her moves on the sidewalk,
And enticed the crowds like a cunning fox
Recruited to vaudeville at just fifteen,
She headlined shows in New York and France;
She stood out from every performance;
No one else around her stood a chance.
Though American, she began to light up the Paris stage,
The French people had found a new heroine to adore;
She would go on to marry a handsome Frenchman
And set up a home on the beautiful Parisian shore.
Picasso wanted to capture her essence in a painting,
To Ernest Hemingway she was his inspiration, his muse;
Many other famous artists were in awe of her talent;
And French critics particularly gave her rave reviews.
She became a legalized French Citizen in 1937,
Spying for the French in the Second World War;
She put her life in danger time and time again;
For her, it was a cause worth the risk of dying for.
To the world she was just the star of the stage and screen,
But obviously there was more to her than it would seem
She smuggled passports to help persecuted Jews escape,
And did all that she could do to defeat the Nazi regime;
She was awarded the very Highest Honours in France,
She surged ever forward with courage never looking back;
She campaigned for the freedom and equal rights for all,
Deploring as she did the segregation of white and of black.
She challenged sexism; racism and discrimination at its core,
She was a headstrong vocalist and a note worthy scribe;
She went on to adopt 12 multi ethnic children worldwide
Referring to her children as her beautiful Rainbow Tribe.
She had many Male and female lovers falling at her feet,
She didn’t label who she loved; or conform to a stereotype;
She was a passionate driven woman in charge of her destiny
And a true super star that lived up to all of the hype.
Although born in the united states in the year 1906,
She was on French soil when death came to call;
She was given a Full Military funeral in 1975,
This being; the highest French honour of all.
She fought for Civil Rights in the only way she knew
And she left behind a legacy that cannot be denied;
She was the brilliantly gifted Josephine Baker,
A shining star, before and after, she died……………….
(2012)
To a remarkable soul......
