after the first rain
the smell of earth filled the air
& the tree of lungs inside me
ozone tickled my senses
as every fibre reached & thrilled
i could not get enough of it all
after the last pain
i put her memory behind me
tho’ saddened i faced a new day
& now i’m learning to live again
now i’m learning to breathe again
after drought the rains always come
by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2021
The first syllable rises from my tongue
As I twist it in a knot
Evoke
There are frogs singing in the darkness behind my house and
Today of all days, the day of my unmaking
You came in to my castle, broke the walls down and
Sent me spiraling into my own vortex
You can fall into yourself just like
A corpse can tumble headlong into the trenches under heavy gunfire
War and relationship
And endless false prayers for peace
We twist about interminably
But in the end, we always soldier on
by PAUL! LANG
© All rights reserved 2023
muteness sticks to the tongue like velcro
seals the lips like a zipper
this song has neither melody nor lyric
only air sirens accompaniment
by TETIANA ALEKSINA
© All rights reserved 2023
three girlfriends chatting in a mall café
sip coffee, pick at cake with small forks
first girl says that she slept fully clothed
but now she sleeps in her pajamas
second girl says she sleeps in her best lingerie
the set she was keeping for a ‘special case’
and the third one says that she sleeps naked
so rescuers will pay attention and save her first
and they giggle, and they go on to discuss
which lipstick shades are trendy this spring
meanwhile the tired rescuers go home, in silence
today they were saving human lives
by TETIANA ALEKSINA
© All rights reserved 2023
bark on the old tree
i would become an artist
just to draw this bark
one day i will be a tree
one day i will feel better
by TETIANA ALEKSINA
© All rights reserved 2023
unbolt me 