Perfecting Her Art Poem by Margaret Alice Second

Lots of things said about singing and voices
that should mature which make sense and it
seemed common sense that Amira’s parents
would read about Jenny Lind, great Swedish
Nightingale – receiving training from an opera
theatre master since she was eight, but no-

No lessons forthcoming, no coaching, Amira
repeats the songs she debuted with and the
original child prodigy appeal is wearing thin
just like her voice forced to higher chords &
no technique, no phrasing - when will she be
allowed to sing age-appropriate songs to

Increase strength and vocal technique and
delight the ear: when prepare for a musical
career instead of belting out opera songs in
a way that might hurt her voice forever, that
fritters away all chances of her sounding so
beautiful as her voice promised to become

When she was young, listening to her doing
concerts where she acts like a mechanical
doll programmed to repeat previous songs
without showing improvement in voice or
technique, creates despair: she could be
as great as Maria Callas who earned

Money as a street singer before she studied
opera; surely Amira’s voice can become broad
& strong when she starts practising in the right
way to make sure the early promise of delight
is fulfilled – or was the chrysalis opened too
soon and the butterfly will never fly

Just because her wings never grew strong
through the hard work and struggle to break
the cocoon herself - early fame might have
taken away the ability to humbly work hard
at perfecting her art…