Saturday, December 30, 2017

Contentment or Contempt?

Depends…


the kid
wanted
the kitty
with eyes 
like white
emojis,
the one born 
of coral 
blood from
a cardboard
placenta

-Anne Leighton, 2017



Sunday, December 24, 2017

Ask Me Anything


Dear Dearest Friend
when it’s too late—
please say something nice about me.
Love trickles down—this I must believe. 
If anyone is to be free 
it’s us loudly shoving that reality,

Let the meek inherit the earth   
put your hurt on the front burner 
for us all to comfort together  

My Beloved Family,
I stand my ground
even when you put me down. 
Emancipation Proclamation!
Do some homework, and learn what that means
Dignity must descend to daughters and sons!

Let the meek inherit the earth   
put your hurt on the front burner 
for us all to comfort together  

My amazing country,
I declare freedom
but sometimes you ask me for too much.
It starts with my neighbor and in my backyard.
I’ve called your offices, sent you emails,
So don’t condemn us citizens for our requests.

Let the meek inherit the earth   
put your hurt on the front burner 
for us all to comfort together  

Brothers and sisters
asking for attention.
Partners on our journeys.
“They’d like to help you if they can find the time
but they’re doting over Facebook and some in-laws that died.”
I’ll only keep you a while. I know if I’m nice, they’ll be nicer. 

hahahahahaha
I don’t know. 
oh,
give it up, nobody cares, 
I can’t solve a problem but I can sing,
and maybe then someone will be listening

Let the meek inherit the earth
put your hurt on the front burner 
for us all to comfort together

-Anne Leighton, 2017



Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Little Girl In My Dream

She wanted to be angel for strays by my house,
the little girl in my dream…
the other kids threw fire crackers
kids are cruel
I remember that well.

Homeowners united on the Fourth of July 
with hoses blasting full stream
we destroyed their explosions
‘cause kids are cruel
I remember that well

As I rolled up my garden hose,
I saw the little girl in my dream
in my yard, making me angry
kids are cruel
I remember that well.

I yelled at her and told her to get lost
she ignored my scream
so I picked her up,
brought her to the next yard 
kids are cruel
I remember that well. 

She came back like the cat
I toss off my desk, this little girl in my dream
I didn’t see her tend to a grey stray
kids are cruel
I remember that well.

So I carried her by her arms and yelled
she sulked, “don’t be mean.”
I didn’t give it much thought till now
what I did to that sweet, little girl in my dream.
I remember that well.
 -2012 

Friday, August 11, 2017

Love the job and the people



Hey! I'm in show biz, 
I'm empathetic egotist! 
Just calling lots of bullshit, 
seeing people all stilted 
and not connected 
with their their talent. 
That's it.
Yeah.

-2017


Friday, July 7, 2017

Ghost of Joseph McCarthy Past

(A Present For The Future)

Everyone join with me
working according to almighty greed
the elitist dictators be they commies, mommies,

unprecedented presidents, 
the obvious stared in my face,
a hint when she called him “Putin’s Puppet”

the most elite of the commies,
not needing help except mentally
a brutal leader stumping bully legislators 

I’m starting to believe
Joseph McCarthy needs to be on top 
and Paul Ryan back there, then, and timing is blind,

and Wisconsin 
isn’t everything
neither is location
shlemiel, schlemazel
Orwell couldn’t live well  
and so he died 
for our bombshells
lady Marlene, Lombard,
Jean Harlow, Lana,
and Lollobrigida 
sung by Woody Guthrie
Harry Belafonte,
and the Big Bopper speaking,

Hello Tail Gunner Joe,
can we borrow you
back and forth in time, 
to save our country now
set an example to old Fred Trump,
the dead Beat Daddy’s
little boy growing up.
Where have you gone,
Joseph McCarthy
for we need you
back and forth this time
to stop the sins of the son 
sang Woody so cosmically… 

If there’s a union against labor camps,
espionage be they KGB, FBI, online
better red than dead, 
  
“Were you a member of the communist party?”
That’s your Russian friend’s story?
oh yeah—huge in hiding sight.

The elitists of communists need this
rain of sympathy feigned by his brain   
for information domination

You huge ghost of anti-communism past,
Come stand on your shoulders
become a giant that can last.




Friday, March 17, 2017

Slambovian Haiku

Slambovian moons
fertilizing upbeat purrrrrrs
radiating dreams

-2017

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Icicles Melt

No snow, there’s no way,
so have a nice day
and keep on dreaming,
my icicles have melted.

Will we ever be warm enough
to finally keep some love?
Early man knew the jungle
and had power over the world.

And modern man’s got the jungle
putting big ones in the zoo.
When you’re big you get a place.
But when you’re small escape to the street.

No snow, there’s no way.
No trouble, it’s melted away—
Hay! Hot! Yay, thanks a lot
for the cycle!
—it’s the cycle of staying alive.
For as long as icicles melt
I’ll survive! You’ll get by!
—icicles melt!

Will we ever be warm enough
to finally keep some love?
Early man didn’t have a wallet
but rewarded his work for food with food,
and Modern Man got poverty.

He’s sleeping in the street.
It’s a walking freezing crime
no matter what, in modern time.

We were strong enough
and damned if we still are.
We built the future as a present
to our children’s children’s children’s children so our kids’ll have it better enough to teach their children’s
children to make it through— baby,
Icicles Melt!

-1978