what happens there could happen here
clouds cover the sun at any time
gravity throw caution to the air
wind touch all the memorial chimes
losing all hope should be a crime
an offence to cry into one’s beer
a withered heart doesn’t cost a dime
either take your seat or pass the chair
step up now & shrug off your fear
you’re a human, not a ball of slime
walk on two legs & see how you fare
a perfectly plump man in his prime
by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2024
i find it hard to imagine you knitting
without tangled fingers & rage quitting
your slim fingers were made to hold glasses of wine
your nails to clear daintily between the tines
your tongue to lick oyster juice, not frayed yarn edges
your toes to sun carefree over marble ledges
your hair to smell like a honeyed summer wind
your tummy to be desired, your skin on my skin
but when i find clumsy wool socks on my pillow
you’ve placed lovingly over cottoned billow
i’m melting with affection, all florid desire
so i slip them on, pull their li’l hems higher
we drink wine, eat oysters, make love on the beach
you rather like me in socks in july’s hot reach
don’t you
by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2024
tati says it’s time to replace
‘spanish shame’ with ‘american shame’
or, more accurately, ‘maga’—
‘moscow agent grifting america’
are you happy, fat elephants
rolling out the red carpet
for this political circus
this baked alaska of fascism
tony says it’s time to get real
the butchers of bucha want more
putin-khulyo & thin-skin trump
a shit lord stroll between the bodies
ahem, pechenegs & polovtsy
you say ukraine’s a fake country
lenin invented it, so—
‘we will kill & trade land, a peace deal’
ukraine’s not perfect, we won’t argue
but let us exist on our own
without your pallid botox cheeks
& edema legs, you fucking cowboys
by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2025
they spake from on high
& answered questions
you never even asked
they spat from on high
& they did not care
that you were bareheaded
they were three in one
a shining countenance
that burned away all souls
like an atomic bomb
to the right of them
a grinning glad lad
that entangled all minds
like a poison ivy
to the left of them
a scowling bag hag
that finagled all eyes
in a barbwire birdcage
they ruminated & belched
their stale truths & false faiths
rolled reality with cud
& so they clawed from low down
demanded their pound of flesh
to marinate in shame
& roast in atomic fire
seasoned with poison ivy
but when all was said & done
it proved a lot easier
to arise from your deep recliner
press a button, shut off the feed
you chose to kill television
& another life was saved today
by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2024
i don’t wanna agree just to keep the peace
don’t gotta force myself to bend to your crease
it would be better for you to desist & cease
so i’m no longer subject to your caprice
just ‘cos i’m a lady
don’t make you my superhero
just a supervillain
in other words, i would like you to sod off
before this turns into a lifelong stand-off
something ’bout your face really puts me off
like it’s not your face but some creepy knock off
please don’t call me baby
or i’ll paint the goddam walls
with your guts vermillion
i suspect you’re a lizard wearing human skin
lemme press this shotgun ‘neath your weak chin
aerate that area with some ballistic spin
get a three-pointer, dunk your head in a bin
by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2024
unbolt me 