Tag Archives: Mother

last october

i will always love you
mother, who carried me
it’s been a year since you’ve gone
i feel your smile lingering on
& i still don’t know why
you won’t let me lay down & cry

i miss you more now, it’s true
& still don’t know what i’m to do
guess i could pass your kindness on
instead of waiting for death erelong
for as long as i’ve left to live
i guess i’ll learn to let it be

‘don’t go near the frangipani tree’
this is what you would say to me
then i‘d try to be your good boy
won’t you let me cry now please

i never did learn to see you true
never did wonder if you felt rue
a lifetime of days before i was born
like petals fallen in the dawn
it feels like i hardly knew you
now i’m here too late… & waiting

& yet i will always love you
mother, who carried me
i miss you more each passing day
& now i find there’s less to say
with this vast space between us
i hope i was your good boy

‘don’t go near the frangipani tree’
this is what you would say to me
i don’t think your boy can smile any more
won’t somebody let me cry now please

by TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2025

TATI’s AND TONY’s DEAD POET TOUR // Gifts Returned by Walter Savage Landor

“You must give back,” her mother said,
To a poor sobbing little maid,
“All the young man has given you,
Hard as it now may seem to do.”
“‘Tis done already, mother dear!”
Said the sweet girl, “So never fear.”
Mother. Are you quite certain? Come, recount
(There was not much) the whole amount.
Girl. The locket; the kid gloves.
Mother. Go on.
Girl. Of the kid gloves I found but one.
Mother. Never mind that. What else? Proceed.
You gave back all his trash?
Girl. Indeed.
Mother. And was there nothing you would save?
Girl. Everything I could give I gave.
Mother. To the last tittle?
Girl. Even to that.
Mother. Freely?
Girl. My heart went pit-a-pat
At giving up … ah me! ah me!
I cry so I can hardly see …
All the fond looks and words that past,
And all the kisses, to the last.

by WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR (1775-1864)
Public Domain Poetry

My Mother

You’re no longer here where you should be. I love you, Mum.

by TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2024

all day sucker

i won me a lollipop at the fair
a golden horsey with a wee eyesore
well, a grain of sugar what hadn’t melt
this blemishment gave me ma a scare
“lick it not, wee lassie!” she did implore
“’tis an evil eye what from hell-ter skelt!”

while me ma looked prayful at the sky
fumbled an’ mumbled, fair crossin’ herself
i stole me a wee tentative lick
well, ain’t nothin’ happened by the by
no lurgy, no hauntin’ nor broken shelf
no double whammy or triple kick

ma an’ me did ‘tinue ’round the grounds
buyed us eggs (three pennies a dozen)
hid our nyloned legs up on the ferris wheel
i licked an’ i sucked, slurpin’ wee rounds
sugar rushin’ gave me head a wee buzzin’
ma’s “let us hie home!” took on fresh appeal

by the time ma an’ me met pa at the stoop
naught but a stick were gummed to me palm
an’ me tummy were turgin’ somethin’ fierce
then there, the bridle, like an empty loop
fell from pa’s hand to mountin’ alarm
an’ news of ol’ clyde to sadden the ears

i cried at dinner and all through the night
at thought of our nag’s life all melt away
while i tongued in the sun, too much to bear
i were scold by me ma though real contrite
no lollipops for me the rest of me days
and animal crackers i’d ought beware

by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2023

And That’s How I Met Your Mother

She walked down the street, carrying a bag with a small, ugly muzzle sticking out of it. Ugh! Since when did we start using pets like mere, fancy accessories? No, I was going to do something about this…

We both happened to be passing the same bakery so I stopped off to buy the biggest baguette they had then put one end of it down the front of my pants. I let the other end jut lewdly past my chin like the biggest erection anybody ever saw.

With all that set up, I made sure to cross paths with the lady. I ran ahead a city block and appeared around the corner, right before her very face. Hell, I swaggered, waving my hips like the cheapest dock whore alive. She gave a small cry at my wagging ‘penis’ and covered her shabby mongrel’s eyes with her hand.

“Don’t look, sweetie!” she gasped. “Never have I seen such vulgarity!”

But the dog wouldn’t listen. Upon seeing what I was parading around with, it launched itself from the bag and chomped down. The whole top end of my baguette came off in its rapacious maw, then it dropped to the ground and ran off with it.

“What did you do?!” shrieked the lady. She was beyond hysterical now. “Do you know how much that dog cost?”

“Hey, they don’t give out baguettes for free either!” was my retort.

People were beginning to gather around. Some were even pointing at the crumbly bulge in the front of my pants. Seeing this, I decided to rip some more of the baguette out and tear a huge chunk off of it with my teeth. One or two onlookers fainted at this.

“No!” snapped the lady, jumping at me. “If you deprived me of my dog, I have a right to your baguette!”

She dropped in front of me, yanked my zipper down, then fished out the last section of baguette from my pants. Looking up at me, she defiantly tore a huge chunk off of it with her teeth. She chewed and smacked her lips and gulped like it was her final meal, right there on her knees!

The crowd gasped.

“Damn!” I said, hands on hips. “I never let a lady do that to me until at least the second date!”

The lady blinked at this. “Then… why don’t you date me?”

And so we lived happily ever after. (And had only cats.)

by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2023