I have the soul of a rock & roller; 
I was born to sing. You started
in a church choir. I did, too.

The director told me to mouth 
the words, not to sing them. 
Sometimes I sang anyway.
He always looked baffled, 
tried to figure out who was off key.

But Tina, you made it big, 
from gospel music to icon, on 
the cover of The Rolling Stone.

How did it feel when you first 
belted out a song and people 
shouted and swooned, when
you traded a choir robe for a short, 
short skirt?
                 Tina, just for one show, 
could I be a back up girl? I'm really
good at shoo be doo, doo wah
and I've got some great moves, too.

Elaine lives and writes in forest in Western Massachusetts. Her first chapbook, The Heart is a Nursery For Hope, won first honors from Flutter Press in 2016. Her second chapbook, Look Behind You, was published in late 2019, and her third will be published next year. Her writing is published in a variety of journals and anthologies. http://elainereardon.wordpress.com.