Tag Archives: Tony Single
cold (boy in the grave)
what is boy to do when
the judge will not advocate
& silence is the crime
his death smacks heavenly sweet
honeyed thus for peace of mind
as the rest of life goes to pot
boy raises a poisoned chalice &
pleads for more hungarian wine
the bad man lashed & beat on him
enriched while boy had less to eat
a legal ward with no standing
but life, they say, can find a way
(tho’ god’s acre be down the street)
what is boy to do when
the judge does prevaricate
& silence is the crime
tho’ blood be often redder
bruises sting profoundly true
how could boy bear any more when
none would pluck this weight away
no reckoning hawk from the blue
his death shall taste bittersweet
at least it’s something left to eat
a boy full bellied on life now
sighs to emptied then lays he down
(for worms to feast in ‘neath the ground)
what is boy to do when
the judge chose to abdicate
& silence was the crime
by TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2025
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lucy in the sky with rhinestones
rough diamonds that they are
with facets not yet shining
still spilling clumsy sun puppies
for easily amused yuppies
who are we to assign value
where detritus has accrued
wrap ’em all up in newspaper
alongside kale sandwiches
staled by yesterday’s news
stained with tomorrow’s clues
who are you to assign value
where truth’s bones have accrued
in seven days they’ll be polished
by bacon grease & oily lies
fakely shining like no tomorrow
like sun pups dead to further sorrow
who am i to assign value
where death & taxes have accrued
by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2024
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employee of the month
the snail said sorry for not inviting you in
that it was better to talk outside
so you stacked your shoe atop the other shoe
on the stoop for ants, to go inside
gosh, such nice weather, no cloud in the sky
robins sang lustily in their trees
but you were annoyed, asked the snail why
you couldn’t go in out of the breeze
the snail winced, said they woke up real early
that their guest room was rather a mess
mould on the ceilings was making them surly
& so too the slime on their flower dress
shrugging, you decided to just do your job
handed the snail an eviction slip
who can reason with an inveterate slob
who pretends to have a tricky hip
gosh, such nice weather, no cloud in the sky
robins sang lustily under the sun
you sat on the shell, loosened your bow tie
dreamt of that bonus for a job well done
by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2024
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alcheringa
shadows throw people onto the pavement
to slip away between the cracks & furrows
to an ocean somewhere beneath the city
where sunken bones & dead dreams recriminate
with golden teeth the stonefishes greet them
such disarming smiles before they jab them
& the bubbles of hope swirl to the bottom
to be sucked clean under tectonic & sand
remember me tripping on cobblestone
remember it ripping through skin & bone
falling like alice to the antipodes
to go through that fine gravity filter
one must first relinquish personhood
& reach emersion at the far side of firma
find a meaningful death before one’s birth
in this world the shadows are disappearing
unanchored from the people we have lost
fading away, so happy, oblivious
to all suffering done, never to return
remember me tripping on cobblestone
remember it ripping through skin & bone
falling like alice to the antipodes
by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2024
unbolt me 