By Dana May Someone I dated during the beginning of the pandemic said that she thought landscape paintings were boring. She said it as a fact: “Landscapes are boring,” referring specifically to a small, stark winter scene that her roommate had hung on their living room wall. This was one of the relatively few timesContinue reading “Sempre Avanti”
Author Archives: embryoconceptszine
Forest Splendor
By Joseph Markell Jealousy, in the middle of the woods,is a rather odd occurrence.It’s odd because it is so obviously in your head,that it causes one to pause – and to realize,that you are suffering needlessly.Chirp.Chirp.Chirp.
Meditation
By Michele Mekel I walk in the woods, by streams, over rocks.Each step: prayer, petition, offering— To the trillium peeking shyly through the carpet of last year’s leaves, To the thorny black locust that I’m drawn— against all rational judgment—to caress, To the corvid troubadour who announces my approach— a sovereign from a land merelyContinue reading “Meditation”
Mastering
By Karla Linn Merrifield His was the beastliestof kisses,delivered by a mustang stallionon velutinous lips,kiss from Equus ferus caballusto the most fearsome femaleof all:Homo sapiens sapiens—in answerto her first command.He’d nudged me as if to sayawaken.With eyes yet closed in dreamsto morning,I asked for a favor:Kiss me.And he obeyed.But it was I who wastamed.I wasContinue reading “Mastering”
Protective Structures
By Sam Rauer Four days after Santa Con last year, I was faced with a surprising development. Seemingly overnight, stretches of scaffolding had materialized in front of my residence, located on a quiet, residential block of brick buildings and homes with front lawns. Not only was there no construction in sight, there were no postings,Continue reading “Protective Structures”
Splendor in the Los Altos Grass
By Gerard Sarnat “Money can’t buy me love.”-The Beatles We can affirmretail therapyindulgencesdo not bringhappiness, butHavad Biz School*says cash doesbuy us timeand well-being:choose to disentangle,live in the forest,on the beach,close to work.Housekeepers.Gourmet take-out— or when that leadsto complacency —hedonic adaptation— clean or cook foryourself plus family.Didn’t expect empathybut what the fuck,frankly this strikesmoi as self-evident,self-satisfiedContinue reading “Splendor in the Los Altos Grass”
Continental Divide
By Linda Sanchez Sometimes late in the day, Marcus and I sit on the median strip and watch the eighteen-wheelers whiz by, tumblers of cheap supermarket wine in our hands, occasionally calling out guesses about each truck’s contents. Right after school and before dinner the trucks tend to carry elaborate quiches and pasta dishes. AfterContinue reading “Continental Divide”
On Weather
By Adrian Harte i was the ferocity of summer daythe pyrotechnics of those same nightsyou constant as the gulf streamsupplanting frigidity with balm me a gentle breeze on your necka first snowflake melting on the roadyou the equator and all the tropicsbulging but always in the right place i floated a cumulus adriftyou pulled theContinue reading “On Weather”
Why is there air?
By Morgan Rondinelli The more that I think about myself breathing, the stranger it feels. I sense my diaphragm stretching. There are barely perceivable obstructions in my sinuses. I can hear the air rushing past my nostrils. It’s rhythmic, but I can also control the pace. What if I forget to breathe? What if IContinue reading “Why is there air?”
The Crucible
By Kate Meyer-Currey Your life’s base metalmutates as flame hitsthe retort and its drossevaporates into moltengold. You are distilledinto elixir of experience.Your personal alchemyis transformative but itsfragile equilibrium is anunstable compound: lightas air, chancy as water,burns like fire and cold asearth. Align planets withyour personal cosmos toavoid malign influencefrom mundane elements.Be wary when antimony’smarauding wolfContinue reading “The Crucible”