bridelope

i lay on the grass & feel how
the flowers push up through my spine
threading me to the divine
the will of modor earth

the smell of honey & i hear how
bees whir above my navel
spreading nature’s table
the pollen will of modor earth

a summer of rain & i smell how
petrichor infuses soil & eaves
wedding with fall’s orange leaves
the solemn will of modor earth

the first snow & i see how
my bridal outfit turns to white
shedding trees stand so quiet
in the mollen will of modor earth

by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2024

field & sky (second look)

those ravens, they tell me to get happy or else
but an empty smile is all they’ll get from me

they cannot possibly see
these hellish thorns inside of me
(scraping me raw)
my tired hollow bones
inside a mess of straw & meat

it’s so hard to be alive
so much easier to be dead
but neither thing seems to like me
look, i’m still here

scarecrow in a grain fed wind
tossed by amber waves
coasting in a lonely life
there’s no way out

those vultures, how can they understand
they say if i’m not happy then to get lost
don’t they realise i already am

by TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2009

field & sky

bewildered scarecrow
he must want to cry
in a faded golden field
beneath an auburn sun
wilted scarecrow
she must wonder why
in a hazy neon field
beneath a winter moon

looking for the answer
sweltering sky
mindfill of shadow
a mind full of shadow
ever mindful of shadow

bewildered scarecrow
she must want to sigh
in a jaded golden field
beneath a forlorn sun
jilted scarecrow
he must thunder why
in a crazy neon field
beneath a splinter moon

by TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2009

good days ahead

don’t cry
we’ve a full life, don’t we
with full bellies
& you are here by my side
with love aplenty to fill our sail

own nothing & be happy
is what they’re bound to say
yet we’re happy anyway
are we not
you are mine & i am yours

too many fish in this world
are fighting to be upstream
near the lighthouse seen
no such thing as water in nets
only good days & some regrets

so, let’s be mindful, love
time is a loose spool
& the river winds on

by TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2025

GUEST POST // Shallow Grave by Pakarcha Vyadhi

Strip tree bark to breath the rot
reading accumulated fear brew
filter coffee tasting sweeter lot
above tongue that tear through
nail deep on horizon brown red
claw clinging onto narrow faith
i hope my nose sticks out mud
while buried in a shallow grave.

by PAKARCHA VYADHI
© All rights reserved 2025