“…Come on Down
to Stimmy’s Cafe!
Where the coffee is hot but your feet are hotter —
When you’re dancing with a zombie on the sun,
When you’re *staring down the barrel of a gun.*”

“Gee, Mark, that was a bit avant-garde for me there -”

“Sorry, Mike, I’m just trying out some new material…”

“Material for what?”

“My pants. They’re made of felt.”

“Felt!?”

“No… I have not felt your pants, Mark. We are Strictly Friends without The Benefits.”

“That sounds like a weird mash-up of pop culture there, Mike….”

“Shut Up, Mark, and Drink Your Damn Coffee!”

“S-s-sorry Mike! I’ll be Good I Promise!!
Just put the gun down!!!!”

…now what the fuck is going on here!? You ask.
Justifiably.
I don’t know, Dear Reader. I’m just as confused as You Are.

We appear to be in some sort of cafe. Neon lights in pink and green with filter coffee and all that American stuff from the movies that everyone just gobbles up like rice cakes.

Stimmy’s the name.
It’s Where Things Begin.

Speaking of which – here is our heroine. The One and Only: Cinderstein!

(She lives her notebook back to front.)

Forced to cook and clean,
when all she wants
to do
is sinG!!!!!

*ahem*

good morning
      rise and shine with the sun
                I’ve got some coffee on the stove
                  yeah, I’ll call you when it’s done
            I can see the world from up here
  and the sky feels so near
            when I’m lying in my treehouse with you 

there are no rules here in my treehouse 

I only eat yellow stuff for breakfast 

you can taste the world through my mouth 

3.3kg of honey 

I like it sprinkled

half an open tin of corn kernels 

with cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter

perfect for burrito bowls, casseroles, soups, and salads 

and sliced cleanly into stars with a cookie cutter

season to taste 

Can You See What I See?

When You’re Lying in my Treehouse with Me?

so please // feed me your imperfections
but gently
‘cause I bruise like a peach
at the bottom of a fruit bowl
still, I’ll eat your heart like a mango
and it’ll feel divine
when my teeth graze
the inside of your spine
(so divine, so divine)
I’ll give you brain freeze.

that calippo melody
so sweet
so sweet
(she gives me brain freeze)
(what do you think of my tree house?) come play with me come play with me
so sweet you give me brain freeze
that calippo melody
so sweet it gives me brain freeze 

she wishes she was an octopus
so she could carry everything.
may I hold your hand?
just to look at it &
see if it would suit me as my own. 

Goodness, me! Wasn’t that a gorgeous Little Song, Dear Reader!?
It sounds like somebody is a bit Heart-Sick.
Perhaps we may help her…?
What do you say, eh?

Editor: Shannon Hensley