Mussel

by Christian Ward

Every shell is dipped in night. 

Place an ear against the ceramic

to eavesdrop on fox squabbles, 

crows watching rubbish bags

left split open like unfinished 

operations, brambles unfurling 

their fruit. Humans, extras 

with no dialogue. Open every 

shell to reveal day – the glazed 

pottery, a perfect sky. Of course, 

there’s the meat: An orange muscle 

on a ready-made plate. Quiet, 

contemplative. I threw up the sea 

the first time I tried it. Didn’t know I was chewing its prayer. 

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Song of the Week, #6

U.S. Girls – Bless This Mess

Thank the sky for the deluge Forget your nightmares And the dreams that didn't come true You don't need no map When every road ends I heard from God and she said, "I bless this mess. Goddamn, yr doing yr best."

Ok, true, the song and the video were released months ago, but the album went live on 4AD a week ago, check it out here!

What’s your song of the week?

When we say perfect day, do we really mean perfect?

Isn’t it like in that old cliché which supposedly says beauty (and perfection) is in the imperfections?

When we asked you on Instagram what is your one-word description of a good day, the words that came up were: serene, reading, adventure, creative, contentment, relaxing, nature, productive… So many different definitions that (we are sure) change daily for each of us.

So, we started thinking about another question that can help your inspiration: what is the one tiny or grand perfection you can find on a normal day, that one joyous kick or spur of motivation, a moment after a hard day that makes you accept the bitter-sweetness and makes you feel like life is alright after all, that might fill you up with sense and meaning or just peace?

Maybe, a perfect day is compiled of moments of being that ground us, reconnect us to ourselves and our humanity. Maybe, just one such moment is enough.

We would love to hear what it all means to you! Send us your submissions for our monthly challenge till next Friday 😉

(Yes, you only have a week left.)

P. S.: We might also accept ironic interpretations of the phrase perfect day. Try us. Those can be the greatest lessons.

Monthly challenge

I. Amazine Monthly Challenge : Perfect Day

For the first prompt of 2023, we’re starting easy.

How do you picture a day well spent? A day when things feel just right and you’re accompanied by this feeling of being right where you belong? Who do you spend it with? What are you doing? What sounds, tastes and scenes are there that will make you remember it forever? What are you most proud of or grateful for at the end of a day? What was your perfect day when you were a child and how has it changed since? What kind of days do you wish for today?

Tell us everything about the good, the sweet and the ordinary days of your lives and those you still plan to create, or just something the phrase itself might inspire for you. (Yes, we might even accept your interpretation of the Lou Reed’s song with all its bitter-sweetness…)

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Piece by Piece

by Ivona Bozik

What is it about that bubble we create when we get to an unknown place? The combination of the distance from the familiar and the newness of circumstances, conditions that make grow different aspects of ourselves. For some we knew they existed silently, some we ignored. During every trip, longer than a single weekend, something in me moves towards a certain direction, builds up another foundation in me, brick by brick, an understanding enriches its effects. Yet, I find it hard to pinpoint what exactly that means.

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Song of the Week, #2

Benjamin Clementine, Delighted : from his forthcoming album And I Have Been, out 28 Oct 2022 on Preserve Artists Co.

The consequences are yours The frequencies are yours The possibilities are yours Cause the vision is yours We lean, We learn, We earn, We turn, We burn Then start again Cause we’re delighted


What’s your song of the week?