Tag Archives: Identity

novitiate

a girl sits above the river
her hair golden in the sun
eyes silver beneath the moon

coins scatter to the shallows
more wishes for rippling stars
& water striders in the gloom

her song flows with milk & honey
something about faraway lands
blest by radiant summers thrice

is myrtle the plant or her name
is she fertility’s virgin maid
or is she a mere whore for christ

who will know, let’s leave her alone
let her sit above the river
singing her inscrutable song

by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2024

make your way

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

cold (morning coffee without milk)

i should be alive
but i’m always waiting in the wings
what’s my line, what should i be
is there a place onstage for me

brown people are dying
i’m so fucking impotent
somebody help them
somebody better than me

i should be alive
not a white invader
not a white saviour
with thoughts such as these

people are dying
while i’m enmired in
the ‘how is this me’
& the luxury of guilt

i should be alive
improvise my own intention
reach into myself
reach out to others

we all grow old, don’t we
& wish we had more time
unless we’re brown
& then living is a crime

by TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2025

clarity

shake it out & lay you down
lean into the hushly furrow
atween cotton wool eyes

the approbation of dreams
where you don’t need to be heard
where you don’t need to be owed
where forever can be like nothing

aslumber in their scaffolding
yet you don’t need their dispensation
to let it all fall away now
so no more maimly going clear
no more sideways tussle
& no more fuzzy words in your ear

by TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2024

it should be a song

how much do you really know
is it enough to get by in life
is time the la peau de chagrin
upon which you can make your mark

they say this is the way

can a shrine replace the shrunken heart
how heavy is your dedication
do you wish to join the holy bores
or master self emdr

they say this is the way
it’s your choice to go or stay

have you never seen a kisser
kill off his darlings out of spite
is god the trauma in religion
are you the hearth that warms the home

it’s your choice to go or stay
tomorrow begins today

by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2023