Firecrackers

 

UnAmerican!

Your Made in India Bombs

hates Cats, Dogs, Veterans!

 

Spewing pandemic-

crazies, unpatriotic

bang bang bangs no brain just sick

Dean Friedman's song has alternatives to illegal fireworks.  :)

Working on a Christmas song at Triangle Studios, in the BX

In the summertime when the weather is fine, we work on Christmas music.

#MusicBusiness #JingleBells #Christmas #hiphop #femaleemcee #FamilyReunion #sleighride #Sleigher #ChristmasMusic #HolidayMusic #Songwriting #Christmas2021

#Drums by Robert Mitzner
#Production and #coachingby Jahmane Bright of Triangle Recording Studios Inc

Shop and Stop

Super market line

She bought herself tuna fish

He got salami

 

Conspiracist In Spite of Himself

 I’ve had enough of crazy

Our minds have become lazy

Call me a jerk for being blunt

There are lies we must confront  

Let’s Contradict conspiracies

You and me, and everybody   

My name is Anne, and I’ll be a true friend

and speak up when you go off the deep end

  

Five times I went out to hug a tree

As I watched a film about conspiracies

Trial of the Chicago 7

At first I laughed when the defendants

Said “CONSPIRACY!” when they answered the phone   

But that judge lied and made them feel alone

 

When leaders put people though this schtick

I think of Elvis Costello’s words “I used to be disgusted

Now I try amused” even at smearers

Be they J Edgar Hoover or my neighbor

the one lying and full of much deceit

letting her cats get lost in the street

 

These conspiracies lie to you

Oh, glorious humanity,

No more notorious insanity    

Those foolish things, they go BOO! 

 

He wasn’t the best mind of a generation

And lacked Solomon’s kind of wisdom

Writing an autogenerated

personal note; do you get it?

Let’s take comments on a case-by-case basis

The Conspiracies in Spite of themselves

 

These conspiracies lie to you

Oh, glorious humanity,

No more notorious insanity     

Those foolish things, they go BOO!  

 

The boss thinks his workers

Are like him scheming and hurting others

When all they’d like is some humanity   

And opportunities for decent money     

Instead Armageddon to others he meets

complaining accusing them all of greed

 

Vaccinate before a vacation

as we’re all ready to look at your brain

immunologists therapists,

the next best conspiracists 

warning if we research on the Internet

our searching will not be our little secret

 

These conspiracies lie to you

Oh, glorious humanity,

No more notorious insanity    

Those foolish things, they go BOO! 

 

My future ex-mate smears

you and me without any cares

And my doctors, they will not atone

for birthing my hormones and body groans 

from butter, chocolate, and coffee

could they be satanic or healthy for me,

 

 baby!

 

These conspiracies lie to you

Oh, glorious humanity,

No more notorious insanity    

Those foolish things, they go BOO! 

 

Kennedy, Bruce Lee and Lady Di

Painful ways the greats say goodbye

If climate change is something you believe

Then why do you freeze when it’s 60 degrees?

Let’s not talk about eating the babies    

Lies destroying friends and families

  

When UFOS and billionaires meet  

as Josie and Pussycats save music industry 

from lies of the world’s conspiracies 

stopping all of them becoming realities   

I hope we don’t fool ourselves

Believing we can fall victim this mental hell   

 

I’ve had enough of mind games

I’ve had enough of insane brains

Call me a jerk for being blunt

There are lies we all must confront 

Let’s Contradict conspiracies

You and me, and Everybody  

It’s time we become true friends

And tell our loves when they go off the deep end.

 

These conspiracies lie to you

Oh, glorious humanity,

No more notorious insanity    

Those foolish things should make us seek

truth.

The Gift of Truth-Telling Women

Our Responsibilities on the Centennial of Women’s Right To Vote

I was unfriended for posting that Marianne Williamson supports vaccinations. It was during the 2019 political campaign when social media insisted she was a fat-shamer and an “anti-vaxxer.”  One of my intelligent friends blocked me when I insisted that Big Cat Rescue/Tiger King’s “villain” Carole Baskin was loved by the Cat Writers’ community. 

The City of Boston excommunicated Anne Hutchinson, in 1638, because she taught religion in her home.  In her trial, the church leader that, initially, helped midwife Anne bury a stillborn baby, betrayed her confidence. He testified against her. 

The “witches” of the Middle Ages disturbed the male-led world order as many were midwives who brought new babies into the world. They were accused of eating babies and having their cats sneak into religious leaders’ bedrooms to infiltrate their dreams!    

I would have been burned or hanged as a witch.  I love cats, and have spoken up for myself. From firing an assistant who bullied a black man to pointing out a dear friend’s hypocrisy, I’ve angered friends whom I’ve confronted! 

I’m grateful to be alive today, thanks to my mom, ancestors, and inspirational big sisters like Gloria Steinem, and those activists who fought for women before her.  I’m glad that people like me are speaking up, and setting records straight, because we’re getting great work done in honest and powerful ways. We care about people, and many men and women know it.

I think that because the “crazy” women have purposeful lives and reflect historical archetypes of the “witch”/ ”mother”/ ”sage,” these females are scorned even by other women. Carrie Chapman Catt was a leader of the women’s suffrage movement that helped women the right to vote 100 years ago, August 26, 1920.  First Ladies Eleanor Roosevelt and Michelle Obama are powerful and magical women, but regarded negatively by those with too much time on their hands and too little brains in their heads.

50 years after it was first introduced to Congress in 1971 (after almost 50 years of the first draft!), we’re on the verge of ratifying it to the United States Constitution. If it weren’t for the neighborhood feminist, who called me “Ms.” Leighton, I might not have voted for it.  It was my first time at the polls, and I didn’t know that I could be self-dependent being so new in the working world.

Fortunately, nobody made my way easy, and I adapted, taking care of business. What keeps us working is that we’re here to serve the planet and its people. I developed a professional showbiz career on my terms both as an artist and music services person.  

News of corruption, sexual misconduct, using government funds for personal use from national heroes, allegedly responsible leaders, and public figures coincided with the declining physical health of our world. We yell at our neighbors.  We saw our sisters lose careers if they spoke up against on-the-job abuse.  Some of us put them down, instead of going the extra mile to find out what was hurting them. 

One of the reasons we still struggle is that the truth-telling woman has been ostracized since the beginning of time.   

Smear campaigns… gossip… rumors.  Marianne Williamson posted on her social media, August 5, 2019 “There’s an ancient strain of misogyny that labels any women who doesn’t toe the line with the status quo of her time as ‘crazy’ or ‘dangerous.’ We will not have full empowerment of women until we face that head on.” 

Gloria Steinem speaks of the importance of building up other women, not breaking them down. She never felt she could succeed alone. One of my showbiz online forums had a man posting that the Chicks were insincere and pandering to the public for dropping the offensive “Dixie” from their name.  A woman spoke up for the performers, “We should be happy they’re supporting blacks.” When he called them “irrelevant,” a lesbian posted that she appreciated their support all these years to the LGBTQ community, and that they collaborated with Taylor Swift. We can show the same support for our friends when they’re disrespected. 

None of us like gaslighting, nor people telling lies about us.  Even if there’s readily accessible proof of our innocence, we’ll see dishonest accusations. Maybe the bully is overwhelmed by the amount of content online.  Then again, perhaps the attacker has anger at the world, and wants to start a fight by belittling others.

Women need to speak up for themselves, especially if they’re the only ones willing to stand up for themselves!

 We need to speak up for one another.  I first heard about Carole Baskin being bullied on the Netflix series “Tiger King” from Paw Project activist, veterinarian Dr. Jennifer Conrad.  I was appalled as the Big Cat Rescue owners had been a great source when I wrote about jaguars and needed photos for CatFancy.  Tigers In America owner William Nimmo (tigersinamerica.org) said her rescue is a top tier animal sanctuary. Animal Planet’s Jackson Galaxy posted support on social media. She’s admitted on her website that she made mistakes in her early years, when she bred wild cats. But she moved on, and became a responsible animal rescuer. Part of her mission is lobbying Washington, DC politicians to pass HR 1380 and S2561:“The Big Cat Safety Act.” The goal is to diminish breeding and trade of wild cats.

Famous “witches” are Hillary Clinton, the Chicks (now and when they were Dixie), technology geeks, bodybuilders, Madam CJ Walker, Cher….   Even with deliberate adversity, these women seem to magically prove themselves because they’re smart, productive, and not involved with smear campaigns.  They’re busy making the world a better place, including doing their homework and being there for their friends.  

These women work in mysterious ways. They know their talents and purpose because they served the public, even making others powerful.  They’re so connected with the universe because they play and work with honesty, working for inclusion, especially for the underdogs....or abandoned cats. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘less

Push me out into space 

make me see good mother earth from the outside. 

I wanna see this place 

I wanna be in Space—I gotta be in space 

outside of this big ole world. 

 

Faster than the speed of sound. 

More powerful than the world being round. 

Riding through the universe. 

Floating with you in verse and in reverse 

outside of this big ole world. 

 

Making rings around the moon, 

I’m doing everything up and down 

acrobatic clown—a naturalistic sight. 

I have caught the speed of light 

outside of this big ole world. 

 

-1984 

Anne Answers The Esquire Questionnaire

According to Esquire Magazine, this evolved from a game that Marcel Proust helped popularize in 19th-century parlor soirees. People would take part purely as a party entertainment, though supposedly they often walked away with a greater insight into themselves. I can’t guarantee that that outcome, but it is fun and what the heck, we could all use a bit of amusement and/or enlightenment, so why not? 

What is your idea of perfect happiness? Close to what I have, where I can sleep with cats, write, dance, eat great food, but also hang out with my neighbors and friends again!

What is your greatest fear?  Homelessness

     What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?   I believed in people that weren’t worth it. 

     What is the trait you most deplore in others?   Cruelty, not listening

     Which living person do you most admire?   Besides my friends, Oprah.

      What is your greatest extravagance?  Italian food on Arthur Avenue, and working in the recording studio

What is your current state of mind?  Thoughtful. Just being my own angel.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?  Greed  ("Greed is good."-The Movie, "Wall Street")

On what occasion do you lie?   To protect friends.  Sometimes to myself, especially if I want to achieve something the universe seems to be saying "no" about.

What do you most dislike in your appearance?  I’m fat, and would love to be trimmer.

What living person do you most despise?  Of the people I know, I’d say there are about dozen people that bullied me when I wanted to mend fences with my artist.

What is the quality you most like in a man?   listening

What is the quality you most like in a woman?  Same thing.  We should be encouraging each other.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?  Folks,  Meow, Woof, Joe.....

What or who is the greatest love of your life?   Myself

When and where were you happiest?  When I’m in bed with my cats

Which talent would you most like to have?  The right touch when I play piano or guitar.  Being able to play those instruments coherently and fluently.  Even on kalimba, I’m jagged.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?  I want to be more lean.  I work at it, and I know it'll be amazing, someday.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?  Believing that we can all create opportunities for ourselves.  It’s possible to make a profit as a writer.

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what would it be? A neurologist. I’ve planned my next life. 

Where would you most like to live?  Right here in the Bronx!

What is your most treasured possession? My current computer and my poetry book "The Leighton Explosion."

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?  People deliberately being destructive and hurting or killing others. That comes from making assumptions and prejudice.

What is your favorite occupation?  Of me, I’d say creative and artist development, including myself.

What is your most marked characteristic?  My voice and my smile.

What do you most value in your friends? They understand where I’m coming from.

Who are your favorite writers? Bruce Lee, Nelson Mandela, Dale Carnegie, King Solomon, Susie Rakowski, Elliott Murphy

Who is your hero from fiction?  Xena and Nancy Drew!!!

Which historical figure do you most identify with?  Frank Zappa

Who are your heroes in real life?  My friends Joe, Joe, Phoebe, Sharon, Ian, Larry, Hank, Greg, Catalina & her family

What are your favorite names?   Renee

What is it the you most dislike?  When I was younger, I didn’t see my beauty. Now it's just my weight that I dislike.  I've embraced all of me.  I understand the weight issue, and am working on it.

What is your greatest regret?  That I didn't always know how to work things out with people, and I'm still not succeeding with it.

How would you like to die?  After I got all my work done.

What is your motto? "It's not what you know, but who you know. And if you don't know 'em, go out and meet 'em!!!"