(fried chicken) wings

everyone has a right to be ordinary
not famous, not pretty and cool
just there, without a care in the world
moving from scene to ordinary scene

pet a cat, have an allergy to fur
sneeze and have a runny nose
take out the trash, pay last month’s bill
fart quietly to avoid accusing eyes

rewatch ‘doctor who’ the twentieth time
hide a holey sock ‘neath another blanket
play ‘monster hunter’ for ten hundred hours
then lay in the dark from a monster migraine

then rise up and go, step onto the roof
spread those wings and make that jump
and save the whole world, once or thrice
because it’s hep to ordinary people

by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2023

acanthus and graffiti

that city was tricky and loved the dead end sign
but for those who knew, it was e’er a passageway
‘tween sticks of tired buildings pretending at trees
to mountain vistas yonder tired men’s dreams
for those that dared creaky boards o’er abysses
dared to leap along ridges of breathy abandon
the arms of poseidon awaited to enfold them
to convey them to rest in the mariana trench
and there, o’er the dilapidated city wall
with a huge azure unblinking graffiti eye
a briny crown of plumes with duplicitous sparkles
received the tired orisons of artless denizens

by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2024

life, death & rollick

maybe we can all be pretty
& live our lives in sumptuous sin
the world’s troubles all so petty
ain’t worth a wrinkle on our smooth skin

futility is the language of
those who damn themselves
let’s make sprees & merry whoopees
over the slough of despond

& even when old age outruns us
ageless wonder inside shall bloom
we’ll indulge in all the fun and fuss
ignore that tired-from-waiting tomb

futility is the language of
those who damn themselves
let’s make sprees & merry whoopees
over the slough of despond

by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2024

vista obscura

why are they vanishing?
to where are they going?
amid yews and larches
squeezing out wet moss
the foxes looking on
are wondering too
beady eyes and pointy noses
sniffing out of dense fog
following faintest trails
before they too disappear
and only a silver cobweb
left shivering on its twigs

by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2023

Sally Forth!

Our Dear Readers (and maybe even Patrons—past, present or future),

They say that change is as good as a holiday. Is that true? Well, we’re about to find out!

You see, we feel it’s time to refresh our Patreon page and make being a Patron even more cool and compelling! (Can it be possible?) We decided to write this post to let you know what changes you can expect to see there pretty soon.

Firstly, we will be introducing tiers of patronage. For those already paying $1 a month, there will only be a small change. Instead of the weekly update of a Trottersville comic strip, you’ll get a monthly update on our new project called Crumble Cult. We’ll call this tier Kahukura Wero, and soon you’ll know who this is.

Secondly, you’ll be enticed by the extra goodies we’ll be offering in the higher tiers (or, at least, we hope you will). We won’t tire you with the details right now. Just know that the highest tier Patrons will get five private Patreon posts per month and the occasional meow or purr on top!

Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for a slight banner change on Patreon in the coming weeks. We hope you’ll like it!

With hearts full of ever blinging gratitude,
Your Tati & Tony!

by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2024