Working Gal Rock and Roll Poet: Read All About It

Saturday, October 9, 2021

Read All About It

"You treat your pets special"

Says the dude w the big muscles

Held the door open

"I like you lady,

You mind your own business

Yes oh yes oh yes."

OH NO! I don’t

Whatever happened to truth telling

And "If you see something, say something"

But now folks aren’t living it

so many so apathetic?

Oh he was so beautiful

His biceps, triceps visual

I pointed next door

Some things I won’t ignore

He flexed and then he hissed

"Yes oh yes oh yes"

no way, jose

Whatever happened to truth telling

And "If you see something, say something"

But now folks aren’t living it

so many so apathetic?

Said he knew all about it

And told me to forget it.

Said not to speak up

He’s someone that’s xo tough

"Stay safe," he punched with snickers

Yes oh yes oh yes

Oh yes, siree, ! I’m saying it

‘cause I see it!

Next door to me

Where these ladies

Show cruelty

Animal neglecting

Bullying, abusing,

then lying.

So here’s me preaching

And saying what I’m seeing

Won’t you join me

In seeing and saying!?

Time to wake up

It’s time we all bring back truth telling

And "If you see something, say something"

cause now folks need to say it

and stop being so apathetic!

C Anne Leighton, 2021, All Rights Reserved

My book is called THE LEIGHTON EXPLOSION, which is a title I've played with throughout my entire adult life. It's based on The Music Explosion who rocked with a favorite song, "A Little Bit Of Soul." It's optimistic, and self-empowering, which is a quality I love in art... Three things have been constant in my life—- writing, music, and animals. Likewise, I've adapted the words to Frank Sinatra’s hit, “That’s Life.” I sing, “I’ve been a poet, a pauper, a publicist…. up and down…..” My poetry book, The Leighton Explosion (Soul Asylum, Canada) shows my range of emotion and different interests, especially rock music. My publisher Ken Cowle says I “made him laugh.” Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson, who writes the book’s foreword, praises my “lilt” and “personality” in an encouraging note. While I usually work as a music publicist with musicians including Jethro Tull, Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius, Sharon Katz & The Peace Train, and Michael Veitch, I've also made money from my poetry. This includes the Grammy-nominated album, Healthy Food for Thought: Good Enough to Eat, (Audio & Video Labs) with me reading my poem “Feed Your Parents Well.” My poems have been published in The Indie Collaborative’s “Holiday Program,” “The Literary Parrot Anthology,” “Elephant Journal,” “BOG GOB,” “Powerline,” “the Aquarian,” and “Nickel.” I've performed live at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and Peter Max’s Studio. Some of my plays have been performed live—one by the Poets Repertory Theatre of Long Island and another by the San Antonio Living River Church, and at New York City’s Howl Fest. My other books are Paws For Thought: How to Understand What Your Cat is Thinking (Rockwell Books, UK), Using Your Art & the Media to Comfort People (Free To Run Books, West Hills, CA), and the self-published e-book, Get the Gig (Common Sense Career Consulting). I recently started producing pop music singles, which can be heard at soundcloud.com/leightonmedia/sets/anneleightonsongs.