oh my god

in the beginning
god created the queue
& placed it before a mall
there was no grinning
just shoppers in a stew
spoiling for a pre-sale brawl

& god saw that it was good
evening & morning, one day

in the beginning
god made anxieties
& placed them in a poodle
there was no trimming
just fleas & bad matting
a pentagram on its noodle

& god saw that it was good
evening & morning, two days

in the beginning
god made uncertainties
& placed them square in harm’s way
there was no winning
just wrong math, bugs & pleas
404 page, print delay

& god saw that it was good
evening & morning, three days

but the next morning
the fourth & final day
god made the reaper from dust
then gave a warning
not to get in god’s way
‘cos he could no longer be arsed

& god didn’t give a rats that it was not good
evening & morning, the reaper joined the poodle at the discount sale
& got a killer deal on a brand new nintendo switch 2

by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2024

elderyouth indiscretions

waking up to reality
it really shouldn’t be so hard
without your morning coffee hit
tongue feels like a rusty bollard

your bladder is full to bursting
it jolly well hurts to high heaven
you were supposed to wake at eight
but had to take a piss at seven

the pins & needles in your neck
have you concerned for your health
your rickety arsed hinged knees
fold into the declining years of self

a mind filled with yesterday’s fog
a handful of pills for breakfast
you hope they’re not addictive
& could swear you’re growing a bust

is that a dead bear on the couch
the mirror says no, look again
your birthday party begins tonight
twenty-five? try four score & ten!

by TETIANA ALEKSINA, CASSY SINGLE & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2024

hoep

there’s only four of us
& only three days left
two options, yes or no
one last guess equals effed

by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2024

et tu, amphora?

they said that i ought to be ready
conserve water for a rainy day
so i held my amphora steady
plunged the neck into the sauna bay

they said that i ought to be ready
conserve darkness for a blacker day
so i held my amphora steady
drew into the neck every bit of grey

they said that i ought to be ready
conserve the hours for a longer day
so i held my amphora steady
fed the neck final gasps of blood spray

what’s wetter, bleaker & more drawn out
than the death rattle of julius caesar
i’m really going to savour this
no one needs to crown another old geezer

by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2024

golgotha souvenirs

the label on the art print says:
untitled, blood on paper
the artist: christ, the time: back when
crucifixions were the trend

the theme: a story, old as time
man on man bloodthirstiness
buy two prints, the third one’s free
pay with cash, lord have mercy

the seller: yellow smoke-filled beard
wrists bandaged with dirty rags
he’s dragging on another spliff
how far can one push this grift

he flips the tap & fills a glass
with something red, takes a sip
says if i don’t like what he drew
there’s magnets & corkscrews too

by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2024