I lost my sense of smell. This nasty little virus sweeping the world, killing millions, invaded my home in January 2022 despite vaccinations and other protective protocols. My symptoms were somewhere between mild and life-threatening. I rode it out, and in the end, I discovered I no longer possessed the powerful olfactory sense that has been my lifelong companion. My first-grade teacher is responsible for my ability to identify just about anything from smell. She figured if I would eventually …
Tag: Cumin
“An Imperfect Cook” and Other Poems by Kashiana Singh
An imperfect cook I often look up the recipes saved in a handmade diaryone I had brought along, it was sealed in a quilted bagof things, it was not one of brocade or of autumn richcolors, not like bags sealed with dowry, massive, final this bag was handmade, my dadi’s, not a quintessentialfeast of gold and zardozi of weddings, it was permeableof skin, muslin pores on its surface, colored in mustardof haldi, reminding me of dadi’s golden concoction withginger, honey …
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Olfactory Report 9: Poetics of Scent by Catherine Haley Epstein + Poetry by Elizabeth Powell
“Poetry is the lifeblood of rebellion, revolution, and the raising of awareness.” Alice Walker April is National Poetry Month, and for the past few weeks my 10 year old has arrived home with endless haikus, acrostics, and concrete poems. Part of this equation is that he is not a fully self-conscious human and is still nimble with his words. Poetry is deceivingly simple, and one of the hardest art forms to do well. Poetry is in fact a major art …
“Mycophagy” & Other Poems by Thomas E. Simmons
without frail gestures Her yellow parachute detached it slip-ungripped from a wrist All her olives rolled away the wet hyssop was misplaced Its minty twigs shriveled & the bullocks pointless Her matchstick-style carrots on blackened khokhloma She was three kilos high bouncing hard on a rock Puzzling at 1% and then …
“Must” & Other Poems by Robert Beveridge
Must Juice is wrungfrom the grapeswith a wooden pressor, nicer, feet. This is donea few times, how manydepends on the grapes and what is left is must.Exhausted, pulpy,but, with essence given,imperative. The juice will,of course, make wine,ferment inside wetbarrels, gain potency. But the must, the structure,can lie on the tonguewithout change, slipdown into the throat,taste of sweetness,exhaustion. Oneiromancer You ask yourself for the hundredthtime how much fish sauce is toomuch, add it, throw in another twotablespoons for good …