"New Binary Part II" by Hailey Stumpo
Haley DiRenzo | Orcas Caught ‘Tongue Kissing’ in the Wild for the First Time
BBC Science Focus, July 4, 2025
And the scientists say in all likelihood
this is not a premating ritual. Just two humongous
bodies, hungry with a crush. Good. Give me
more blubber, muscle, and tongue, more
making out in the sea. Give me a world where we blush
at first kisses, squirm at the way someone yearns.
Give me your teeth, nibbled flesh of my earlobe. I want you
holding my hand. Give me your fingers brushing hair
behind ears, writing our names on the shore. I want
the smirks, the giddy giggles. Something for someone
to swoon over witnessing in the wild. Can you believe
this is real? So deep blue, you can’t see the bottom.
And the scientists say in all likelihood
this is not a premating ritual. Just two humongous
bodies, hungry with a crush. Good. Give me
more blubber, muscle, and tongue, more
making out in the sea. Give me a world where we blush
at first kisses, squirm at the way someone yearns.
Give me your teeth, nibbled flesh of my earlobe. I want you
holding my hand. Give me your fingers brushing hair
behind ears, writing our names on the shore. I want
the smirks, the giddy giggles. Something for someone
to swoon over witnessing in the wild. Can you believe
this is real? So deep blue, you can’t see the bottom.
Haley DiRenzo is a writer and attorney specializing in eviction defense. Her work has appeared in Barely South Review, One Art, and Bending Genres, among others. She was a 2026 Best of the Net Finalist in Fiction for her flash piece, “Upending the Garden.” Instagram: @haleydirenzo
Hailey Stumpo is a Dover-based fine artist currently pursuing a degree in studio art at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. Her works have been acquired by private collectors in Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, including renowned oil painter Dr. Sandra Corpora, by whom Stumpo has been mentored for three years. You can find Hailey on Instagram @indieannaartwork and on her website.
