many moons ago
where the sands meet the grey sea
the moose left footprints
leading nowhere & beyond
the call of glowering gulls
where were they going
how were they so far from home
who will ever know
many suns ago
when we did not fear the waves
we left a kelp chain
‘tween the sand dollars & jags
& the smell of iodine
where were we going
dull heavens in place of home
keys sunk in the sea
by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2025
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
the humanist and the quietist
walked along the beach
and had a respectful dispute
about freedom of speech
their plimsolls were leaving traces
on the golden sand
the evening sun embraced them
and everything felt grand
they had time to puff on their pipes
about once or twice
before their wives distracted them
with asking for advice
their children’s wedding was pretty soon
and all was mess and froth
on top of that, the wives couldn’t agree
on the colour of the tablecloth
an hour of scandal, some broken plates
torn shreds of hair and squeal
that moment the phrase ‘freedom of speech’
seemed absurd and unreal
the humanist and the quietist
miraculously survived
but their philosophical views
were now very much deprived
by TETIANA ALEKSINA
© All rights reserved 2024
one day the currents will turn around
the waters will carry the ocean floor
the foam will meet the impossible sky
make rainclouds in the realm of angels
vociferous sirens will hymn to gods
rake their tails o’er thorny sea stars
and soldier crabs will one day return
in battalions from know-not-where
it’s all rolling away
into much stranger days
and the deeper trenches
of mariana
splendour sand kingdoms will rise and fall
leave wet traces of their past greatness
folded into eddies of possibility
many of which ne’er before conceived
whole universes to curl into shell
that i press so gentle to your tiny palm
a nautilus distillation of dreams
a whispering promise of endless scenes
it’s all rolling away
into much stranger days
and the deeper trenches
of mariana
by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2024
The setting sun’s an angry red ball, though the beach is charmingly pink. A trick of the light? She cannot say.
Still, that isn’t her most pressing concern right now. Reptilians are all around, flaring nostrils and licking the hot air with their viciously forked tongues. They can sense her presence. It’s driving them crazy with lust.
She’s the Blood Queen. She gorges on the blood of men, and sometimes even wears their entrails for fun. Naturally, she’s going to attract attention from the local population.
Never mind. The odds are good. She’s the prize for whomever gets her first.
by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2019
