Spinnaker ...a tribute to Whitney Houston

nan shartel, February 13, 2012

i heard your song and wildly danced

thrice around the moon

shock shivered on the dark side

the sun couldn't come too soon

my spirit swelled and raced on with you

in hopes your song be sung

our hearts were feather light and heavy anchored

but your song sailed us along

i've never been so affected

by any song before

as you bravely set your spinnaker

to defeat the worldly oceans roar

i could hear your racing heartbeat

it echoed my willing own

distant pulses of the piper tunes

as they danced and pranced that reel

that rattled both our bones

sweetly calling to a lilting lover

a lithesome dark skinned boy

a boy inside a mansuit

a song of irreverent joy

not lost on us the multitude

those fans you so enjoyed

Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody

hey skinny legged gal you'll be missed

you named us

you claimed us

we knew you were just on loan

when a candle burns that brightly

with such a fine display

too soon it burns itself out

and last only one short day

bombarded by fame

a sweet but often unholy game

some say nothing good will come of it

but that isn't true

so much good will come of it

but so much bad will too

nan shartel Feb. 13, 2012 @ 3:36 p.m.

bye bye darlin'...a happier place awaits you

Ruth Newell Feb. 13, 2012 @ 4:06 p.m.

"Sweetly calling to a lilting lover

a lithesome dark skinned boy"--nicely worded, Mistress.

nan shartel Feb. 13, 2012 @ 9:52 p.m.

great thx hunnypop...she'll be missed

nan shartel Feb. 13, 2012 @ 10:03 p.m.

my fave is "a boy inside a mansuit"...hahahahahahahaha

Ruth Newell Feb. 13, 2012 @ 10:51 p.m.

T'was a toss up! lol

nan shartel Feb. 15, 2012 @ 11:20 a.m.

yep...she was more of a bad girl then many of us knew...two addicts met up and fueled each others addiction needs

they boosted each other up and torn each other down

nan shartel Feb. 14, 2012 @ 11:19 a.m.

thx 4 the link Mindy...a great arrangement!!

nan shartel Feb. 14, 2012 @ 11:19 a.m.

and marriage to a bad boy!!

nan shartel Feb. 15, 2012 @ 11:27 a.m.

apparently her Real personal was that of a scattered good/bad girl Mindy

so many in music travel this path...management is often overbearing and greedy...they take these young talents and and used them to obtain massive amount of money with no thought to their personhood

especially in the R&B world

nan shartel Feb. 15, 2012 @ 12:01 p.m.

that's persona not personal Mindy

nan shartel Feb. 15, 2012 @ 2:55 p.m.

the music industry is so cruel and ugly that way Mindy

dirty..dirty..dirty...and what a dirty shame it is for the artist :(

Whits voice was incomparable in the day...2 soon she started down that road 2 self destruction....they're saying she may have had a sudden heart attack or stroke...cocaine abuse causes lots of heart damage if used over a long period of time

alcohol can turn a persons heart to mush..cardiomyopathy...only the autopsy will really tell the tale

nan shartel Feb. 16, 2012 @ 8:50 a.m.

it happens Mindy..sorry it happened to u :(

richzombie Feb. 14, 2012 @ 12:37 p.m.

very very nice - enjoyed the tribute

nan shartel Feb. 15, 2012 @ 11:23 a.m.

thx RZ...i put up this most early song because she was still clean and sober...i think later altho her voice was still beautiful she was teetering on the edge of destruction and her sleepy eyes told the story all too much :(

Twister Feb. 15, 2012 @ 10:34 p.m.

We should support our own artists better. Jewel should not have had to live in her car; now she's confused on a big Texas ranch. But at least not some Beverly Hills shack.

Success is not, should not, be measured in shekels.

When panderers turn artists into prostitutes, tragedy is a sealed fate. Trinkets trip us up.

Marilyn, Elvis, Natalie -- What a waste!

Success happens before show biz, not during, and certainly not after.

nan shartel Feb. 16, 2012 @ 8:55 a.m.

what most of us don't realize Twister is that when people get famous they become so insulated by the yes men/women around them that they stop growing emotionally...and the ongoing manipulation by the greedy people around them stunts their growth

everyone even the fans want to get on the bandwagon...the show must go on can lead to death in a cold tile bathroom

nan shartel Feb. 17, 2012 @ 10:15 p.m.

i think it's Hear Hear!!!

but i'll accept either...lol

nan shartel Feb. 16, 2012 @ 8:48 a.m.

thx 4 the link Mindy

Twister Feb. 17, 2012 @ 7:14 a.m.

The artist in us all comes from that mysterious place in our being for which we can't find words (the words we try, like "soul," for example, themselves fall prey to distortion through prostitution). We can't tap this inner being at will; it is only accessible through a kind of total relaxation--a love, a trust, a shedding of bonds. It comes for free and must be given, but the recipients must, to complete the cycle, also give--of sustenance, of love in kind, not as fanatic fans, but as deep appreciation. Fully adequate, but not excessive to the true needs . . . no demands . . .

For example: http://www.queenbeessd.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Tribal-Baroque-poster.jpg

Re:"By nan 8:55 a.m., Feb 16, 2012"

nan shartel Feb. 17, 2012 @ 10:16 p.m.

profound and accurate Twister...thx ;-D

Dadler Feb. 17, 2012 @ 2:18 p.m.

Very sweet tribute. Woman had incomparable pipes. RIP.

nan shartel Feb. 17, 2012 @ 10:17 p.m.

that she did Dadler...that she did ;-D

nan shartel Feb. 17, 2012 @ 10:19 p.m.

what a hoot Mindy!!!

nan shartel Feb. 18, 2012 @ 10:27 p.m.

me 2!!!

Dadler Feb. 19, 2012 @ 1:06 p.m.

That made me smile. Very widely. Even though she was obviously sad. Hope I'm that full of life at 90.

Tallsharon Feb. 18, 2012 @ 8:34 a.m.

I think that many creative people fall into the fallacy of fame that requires extreme sacrifice in order to be taken seriously- and once they have achieved a high level of public recognition they rationalize their life choices by attributing them to "the fans expect me to live large" . Willpower is a struggle for all of us, some take the high road, some take the low road and some try to balance on the fence. Loved her voice, her song, her light. like sports stars, and actors, and physicians, and architects, and dancers, and writers- we all try to balance our lives with our perceptions- we all fly ...and crash. we're human. Sad, but not surprising.

nan shartel Feb. 18, 2012 @ 10:52 a.m.

bombarded by fame

and sweet but often unholy game

some say nothing good will come of it

but that isn't true

so much good will come of it

but so much bad too

watching the "going home" ceremony on CNN now Tall Sharon and just heard Kevin Costner speak

WOW!!!!

he nailed the dichotomy of fame and fear Whitney felt

artist's lay their heart bare when they present their work to the public...they are the risk takers in our society...those who need to excel and personally bring their own personal beauty into the world...they don't beg the world to like them...they dare the world not to like them

i am not but a paltry poet..a silent voice on a keyboard unknown...but even in my own humble way i lay myself bare and a show those who read me my acceptable/unacceptable bloom

multiply that by millions with Whitney and be glad for the good...forgive the bad and let the world sing along with who she was today

nan shartel Feb. 18, 2012 @ 2:44 p.m.

i couldn't agree more Mindy

Twister Feb. 18, 2012 @ 9:20 p.m.

Fame IS fallacy.

Ruth Newell Feb. 18, 2012 @ 9:26 p.m.

It is. Agreed.

nan shartel Feb. 18, 2012 @ 10:10 p.m.

if only it all was that easily foreseen... recognized and dealt with deftly...while involved in the dance so much is unperceived

nan shartel Feb. 18, 2012 @ 10:06 p.m.

but as we can see from this sad incident Fame's effects r not Twister

Twister Feb. 19, 2012 @ 1:53 p.m.

It's hard to resist looking into the looking glass when you're famous. Neither adoration, nor drugs, nor any kind of makeup makes up for trading one's own true self for even a multi-million-dollar mess o' pottage. Elvis, Michael, Marylyn, Whitney--all and more were unable to resist the temptation of money and adoration. In the end, they were lonely in the loneliest sense of the word because their IMAGE counted more than they did. Marylyn could turn it on and off. She tried to use it, but it used her--and used her up. Elvis became a cruel parody of himself. Michael became king of his own fantasyland, a highly talented and intelligent kid, burdened by that phony thing called "race" and literally making himself into a mannequin.

Dolores Hart became a nun. Jewel seems to be avoiding much of the silliest forms of show biz exploitation, and Marisa seems to have resisted with minimal compromise . . . only time will tell, I guess.

Avoid fame like the plague that it is. Do your thing, not their thing.

nan shartel Feb. 19, 2012 @ 8:08 p.m.

u were one of the smart ones Mindy...many r not

nan shartel Feb. 19, 2012 @ 8:07 p.m.

twister

u r fast becoming the Emile Zola of the Reader

SurfPuppy619 Feb. 19, 2012 @ 7:52 p.m.

Michael was also the victim of child abuse, and I personally feel, having been abused myself, that much of his "odd" behavior was attributed to that rather than fame and fortune. == MJ was Severely abused as a child. Read his story, his Dad Joe Jackson was a freaking loser who wrecked the lives, especially the childhoods of his children, especially MJ.

MJ did not have a very solid or reasonable view of societal norms b/c of his abusive childhood, he just could not wrap his mind around the fact that what he was doing-allowing children to sleep with mim as an adult, was not acceptable in our society-b/c he had such an abusive childhood, not because he was any kind of child molester which is pure fiction. The SB DA was destroyed in the MJ criminal case.

SurfPuppy619 Feb. 19, 2012 @ 7:54 p.m.

OK, check this OUT, the kid has some SERIOUS PIPES!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCdYCv-7tv8

nan shartel Feb. 19, 2012 @ 8:06 p.m.

wow!!!

he sure does Pupster...i think we need to make a "hands off" sign 4 him right away

nan shartel Feb. 19, 2012 @ 8:03 p.m.

fame that happens before a person is fully adult seems to have the worse negative effects

I THINK THESE TALENTED YOUNG PEOPLE ARE POUNCED ON LIKE PRETTY BUTTERFLIES

then over handling destroys them

i was always glad i wasn't a beautiful girl because i saw how the flattering of beauty creates such shallow people

as a poet i have no fear of fame...thank the lawd!!

SurfPuppy619 Feb. 19, 2012 @ 8:26 p.m.

Nan, you're one smart cookie-I agree with everything you posted!

nan shartel Feb. 20, 2012 @ 5:28 p.m.

thx dog lover!!!

Twister Feb. 19, 2012 @ 9:47 p.m.

A pal sent me two groups of photos of women--before makeover and after makeover (can you BELIEVE the spell-checker ACCEPTS this word?). I'll take the before--yes, even on the basis of looks alone, before knowing what kind of shape their ultimate sex organ, the brain, was in.

What gives women the idea that a bunch of fakery is necessary to "attract" a man? Well, then there IS the great photo of Sophia at the shore . . . but hell, she turned into a conceited, narcissistic airhead . . . Yup, I WOULD shove her out of bed . . . eventually.

nan shartel Feb. 20, 2012 @ 5:27 p.m.

we r molded by the treatment of those closest 2 us Twister...as children and adults...family and piers

and yes...the largest sex organ 4 either sex is the brain

intelligent responsive women don't have to TRY to attract men...they're like Bee Charmers...the bees just want to be close and interactive with them...

and all good charmers never close their hands over the bees

SurfPuppy619 Feb. 19, 2012 @ 11:04 p.m.

. I wondered why she didn't marry one of them (she works in health care). Then she opened her mouth and I knew why. == OUCHIE!!!

Reminds me of a Richard Prior comedy set, he was commenting about how beautiful his daughters friends were and how they have the bodies of adult women, and how it all ended as soon as they started talking........

nan shartel Feb. 20, 2012 @ 5:20 p.m.

ditto on that one Mindy!!

the Heather and Demi thingie...

if one must love a younger man she needs to foresee the leaving and simply enjoy the days in between

that's a kind of wisdom an older women should have cultivated in herself before she starts that sort of adventure

nan shartel Feb. 22, 2012 @ 6:39 p.m.

u know Mindy this blog was never posted on the Main Blog page... even with a little nudge to the web administrator from me by e-mail

i guess 68 comments without any publicity aint 2 bad tho

i wish i understood what's going on bloggerwise lately

Twister Feb. 22, 2012 @ 8:45 p.m.

According to Helen Fisher, it's natural for a woman to change men every four years anyhow . . .

nan shartel Feb. 23, 2012 @ 5:28 a.m.

i thought it was the 7 year itch Twister ;-D

and there r always exceptions to every rule

Twister Feb. 23, 2012 @ 9:38 p.m.

I reckon it's down to four now. You know, modern mores and all that . . .

nan shartel Feb. 24, 2012 @ 11:42 a.m.

i left my first after three because he was fast becoming a raging alcoholic

i married too soon and am not really sure if i ever really loved him..u may notice he's never spoken of in any of my work

i asked my children not to marry til they were over 25 and more mature

but they divorced anyway...one is happily remarried and i have 30 happy years under my belt now with my retread

my Da used to say "it's not having what u like that makes u happy...it's liking what u have"

a little Irish wisdom goes a long way

Scott Marks Feb. 23, 2012 @ 1:57 a.m.

I'm not the biggest Whitney Houston fan. (You try sitting through "The Preacher's Wife.) Your tribute is terrific, Nan.

nan shartel Feb. 23, 2012 @ 5:20 a.m.

i didn't like sitting thru the Preacher's Wife either Scott

especially when the original

David Niven Loretta Young and Cary Grant

had already done it up proud years and years before...hahahahahahahahahahaha

The Bishops Wife..1947 quote Sylvester: The main trouble is there are too many people who don't know where they're going and they want to get there too fast!

Whitney kinda fits that quote

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