McCartney turns poet

From pop music to pop art to popular poetry

Sir Paul McCartney is to publish more than 100 poems he wrote as a personal epitaph to his late wife Linda, it has been reported.

The former Beatle's literary exploit, which follows recent public exhibitions of his paintings, comes more than two years after Linda's death from cancer.

Playwright and poet Adrian Mitchell said: "It was Linda who wanted Paul to get them published".

Poetic tribute to Linda

"Paul is not afraid to take on the art of poetry, which is the art of dancing naked," he added.

The verses are being printed in a collection entitled "Blackbird Singing", according to The Sunday Times newspaper, which revealed Sir Paul's plan.

"Clearly Paul has a proven ability and I find many of his poems very apt and moving, particularly about Linda's death," said poet Michael Horovitz, who has known the Beatles since their 1960s heyday.

Sadness isn't sadness, it's happiness in a black jacket

Sir Paul McCartney

In one poem, clearly reflecting his own emotions while helping Linda through some of her darkest hours, Sir Paul wrote: "Sadness isn't sadness, it's happiness in a black jacket. Death isn't death, it's life that jumped off a tall cliff. Tears are not tears, they're balls of laughter dipped in salt."

It is not the first time Sir Paul has delved into other areas of the arts.

He has been painting for the past 20 years, but only went public with an exhibition in Germany in May 1999 followed by shows in London and New York.

Thirty years after Beatlemania gripped the world, Sir Paul's personal appeal shows no sign of fading.

Last month, young girls wept, paparazzi snapped and fans screamed when he went to a London bookstore to sign copies of his new book "Paintings".