Singers Poem by Jan Oskar Hansen

Singers
I wanted to be a singer of popular tunes, but I didn’t have
The voice for it, sounded like humpback a whale’s mating
call it was said; how would they know I swam with whales
along the coast of Alaska in my younger days, only gave it up
when a flipper was damaged by a propeller

A school friend became a singer made money travelling
around fairs singing what was in the wind at the time.
He also sang in noisy restaurant with heavy Norwegian
accent and students laughed at him, they were learned
people and would in time become lawyers and doctors.

My school friend when visiting our common hometown
is interviewed and he talks about the old days, anecdotes
I think it is called. I can sing like whales their mysterious
sounds I master, but can’t use it night clubs are for dancing
the mating stuff comes later.

I once met an English pop star, who looked like a Peter Pan
slightly frayed at the edges, he even had a vine-yard, he was
much loved by the expats till there was a hint of a scandal of
the unsavoury kind. Nothing has been said, but time is more
morally unforgiving now, so he went to live in Jamaica.