Fanny's ill-gotten gains

Today's sharing is a musical poem that I wrote in honour of Fanny Imlay, the elder step sister of Mary Shelley.  Love forlorn Fanny committed suicide in Swansea's  Salubrious Corner, taking a room in a downbeat Inn.

The story is that she was having an affair with Percy when he was also giving the glad eye to Mary. He was married at the time. She ran to Swansea and sent him and her father a letter saying that she would kill herself if he did not come. Well, he did come, but a day late and to protect her name, hid the suicide note and covered it all up. In Swansea at the time, suicide was frowned upon greatly and often those who had taken their lives, would have their heads spiked and tarred for the seagulls, so perhaps it was genuine concern, but no doubt he was mentioned in that letter, so I have a suspicion it wasn't just her name he was protecting.

Fanny's is such a sad story and one so often overlooked. When I found out about it, it tainted my view of Shelley and listening back to the track, I can hear that in my delivery. Not long after, his wife also committed suicide, leaving him free to be with Mary. There is no story more astonishing than real life.

The artwork for the EP Easy Street was painted on a wall in Cardiff and photographed by my dear friend and exceptional artist, Lloyd Roberts.