i ring their bell ends
it’s what i was made for
nothing in my head but head
making a dull sound
making the right sound
since when did we become so familiar?
i’m just an udder with dicks
expressing the milk of human kindness
but to them it’s only wankery
making a dull sound
making the wrong sound
since when did i earn such contempt?
by TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2020
Rabbit jumped onto the road and froze in the headlights.
Well, this isn’t strictly true.
He did jump out but then opened up his cute plaid vest. The inside pockets were packed with chocolate eggs—you know, like they were bombs. Rabbit spat on the bitumen and hopped over to the car, all slow and menacing.
“Your carrots or your life!”
Driver doubled over the steering wheel in fits of wheezing laughter. What was this carjacker nonsense?! And Rabbit’s squeaking voice—how could she take that seriously? Driver laughed hard.
Rabbit sighed. He was sick of eating fucking Easter eggs!
by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2021
I remember the history of my first scar,
You don’t forget bullying and barbed wire
Chased by a group of Catholic and non Catholic boys,
There was little difference between bullies in those days,
They all ran fast in the thrill of the hunt
Cornered at the base of a once insurmountable chain mail fence
Fear can make a young boy do extraordinary things
Climbing the 12 feet and flipping over the top
Barbed wire hung rusty on the other side of the fence
Careless workmanship an age old story
I remember the feeling as barb caught skin and
Still visualise the trail of bright red running down my leg
The run home was fast and bloody, my grey sock turning red
I tried to sneak in quietly through the back door
But an ever vigilant mother could not be outsmarted
I’m sure I lied, never telling her that I was being chased
Life was easier to live if the bullies felt you never told
Bullying is like racism, it’s not in your genes, it’s learned
What I want to know is what were the teachers teaching
Nothing good comes with a serving of barbed wire
by TONY MUTTON
© All rights reserved 2021
needle always points
this way, not the other way
life, straight and simple
tapping glass facade
with a time-worn forefinger
for something has changed
north has gone astray
besotted with fragrant air
cherry blossom front
thread follows needle
pilgrims wander to the east
archipelago
by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2021
TATI: Tony, are you ashamed of your anus?
TONY: Say what now?!
TATI: It’s this little thingy between your buttocks that you use fo—
TONY: Are we talking about buttholes or little thingies?! Those are entirely different body parts, you know!
TATI: Tony, I am aware of male anatomy. Could you please be serious for a moment?
TONY: Sorry.
TATI: So… are you ashamed of your anus or not?
TONY: Oh, so this is what you call being serious, huh? Well, anyway, I’m not ashamed of my anus. But I don’t go flashing it about in public either.
TATI: Well, that’s because you just don’t know about a certain something that can make your butthole flash, twinkle and shine bright like a diamond!
TONY: Why would I want my butthole to go off like fireworks at a Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade? That sounds pretty tacky.
TATI: Tony, you’re so old-fashioned. Now even cats wear it!
(Tati takes something small out of her pocket and tries to place it in Tony’s arse.)
TATI: Boom! Twinkle Tush!
(Tony, quite naturally, jumps away in surprise.)
TONY: Winkle what?!
TATI: You’re welcome! Now you can bathe in the warm rays of fame and hero worship!
TONY: More like in a river of shit! Yuck!
TATI: You’re so hard to please! Just look at this cat. It looks so happy! You can be happy too!
TONY: I’m not a freakin’ cat!
TATI: Well, it’s not my problem if you don’t want to be shiny and famous.
TONY: Okay, real talk here. Don’t you think it’s a form of animal abuse to be plugging up kitty bungholes? I do!
TATI: It’s not a butt plug! Just an elegant ass pendant. Do you think that is more abusive than a leash or a flea collar?
TONY: Oh! I thought it was something they were inserting in them. My mistake…
TATI: So, does this mean you change your mind and that you would like to own this shiny thing after all?
TONY: That’s a hard NO. Even if it’s not strictly abusive, it’s still as tacky as hell! And do you mean to tell me that you applaud something like this?
TATI: Honestly, I think it’s way better than piercing or tattooing animals, for example. Or docking their ears and tails for the sake of weird breeding standards that people invented for want of something better to do.
TONY: Look, since you put it like that then I have to agree. But I do think that an animal needs to have its dignity too. Is the sparkly anus cover really for its benefit or for the owner’s vanity?
TATI: Funny, the manufacturer of the Twinkle Tush says it was made exactly for keeping cats’ dignity, because they are supposedly ashamed to exhibit their naughty bits to public view.
TONY: Well, that’s not been my experience. Every cat I’ve ever met couldn’t wait to show me its anus. I never knew whether they wanted me to take a sniff or just be offended. And anyway, do cats ever think of their ‘naughty’ bits as something to be ashamed of? Isn’t shame purely a human construct?
TATI: I actually agree with you. Maybe they’ve never owned a real cat?
TONY: Perhaps not. Anyway, I think we project far too many human traits onto our furry friends. They don’t want our tattoos. They don’t want to wear cute little clothes. They don’t want anal bling! They just want to lick their genitals then go about their day.
TATI: Amen to that! Hey, where is the twinkle tush thingy?
TONY: How would I know? You were the one holding it!
TATI: You took it, didn’t you? Don’t tell me you’re not fond of tiny shiny things, Tony! I’ve seen your perverted collection!
TONY: Those are MARBLES, Tati, not glittery sphincter covers. There’s a pretty big difference, you know!
TATI: Then where is it, smarty pants?
TONY: Oh, look! See that magpie up on the roof there?
TATI: Hey! You feathery thieving freak! Bring that back right now! I paid a whole six bucks for it!
TONY: Wow. Such a wise expenditure of precious pocket money there, Tati. Bravo.
by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2021
unbolt me 