pictures of the sea

that's it, that's the substack

May 13, 2023

this week’s Thought (singular)

i think a 3-hour-nap-in-the-afternoon-with-the-most-vivid-and-adventurous-dreams-from-which-i wake-up-so-groggy-that-i-can’t-remember-my-name would fix me

a very warm welcome to all new readers. i love new readers so much that whenever i get an email about a new reader, i manifest that they manage to finally successfully go on that goa trip with their friends. thank you for joining us. may your arguments to convince your parents be solid and well-received.

since the start of this year, i’ve visited a bunch of really fun places and seen really cool things. i thought i’d collate some of my favourite memories from those trips in this issue, as a sort of look-back on the year so far as we gradually, shockingly, approach the halfway mark. some of these you definitely have seen before, some may be new. shoutout to

tiya ♡

who does this lovely reflection/memory collation idea on the regular, and whose substack is always warm, warm, warm.

*in the middle of a new city, of painful and dramatic goodbyes, the sea calmed me and the sun warmed me.*

*the ceiling outside a movie theatre, wonderfully tacky and fun.*

*possibly the first meal i ever made for myself from scratch. i felt pampered and i felt loved.*

*sassoon docks during the mumbai urban art festival which was sunny, sweaty, exhausting, crowded, and artsy. in no particular order.*

*lotus biscoff and chocolate almond croissants at the loveliest bakery i’ve ever been to on a super duper fun day out.*

*the sky and the trees and the clouds during a sunset at the beach. the onset of summer in a city that rarely feels like it experiences any other weather.*

*the view from elphinstone point at mahabaleshwar, a trip during which i had more strawberries than sips of water.*

*the most fun earrings i’ve ever bought in my life. i am filled with absolute delight when i wear them.*

*my apartment cat that i was briefly reunited with on a visit home.*

*the museum of art and photography in bangalore on one of the most fun days of my life.*

*yet another beautiful sunset at the beach.*

*clouds that rank a solid 12 on the ten-point sleepability scale.*

*a succulent and pot competing with each other for cuteness at a nursery*

*the not-quite-beach at alibaug during a recent trip*

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English Recitation Competition

Devonport, Chloe Honum

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The man has chosen
that he wants his ashes scattered
from the end of the pier

where he used to fish with his buddies.
They’d sit on overturned paint buckets.
Sometimes the waves gusted up

and the hems of his pants got wet and salty.
He liked the gulls that stood on the railing,
all puffed up with sky.

Having made the decision,
he walks at dusk to the end of the pier
and looks out at the sea.

As he turns away, he sometimes gives
a small, happy nod, like a man
thinking yes, I will buy this house.

From the Stone Age, Alice Corbin Henderson

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Life is above me, below me, around me, 
Moving through my pores of stone—
It does not matter how small the space you pack life in,
That space is as big as the universe—
Space, volume, and the overtone of volume
Move through me like chords of music,
Like the taste of happiness in the throat,
Which you fear to lose, though it may choke you—

For The Moment, Pierre Reverdy (translated from French by Kenneth Rexroth)

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Listen I’m not crazy
I laugh at the bottom of the stairs
Before the wide-open door
In the sunlight scattered
On the wall among green vines
And my arms are held out toward you
It’s today I love you

It’s Time to Find a Place, Eunice de Souza

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It’s time to find a place
to be silent with each other.
I have prattled endlessly
in staff-rooms, corridors, restaurants.
When you’re not around
I carry on conversations in my head.
Even this poem
has forty-eight words too many.

A Picture!

you lot are insatiable. that’s more than enough images for today.

The Good Side of the Internet

(subscribe to my standalone publication The Good Side of the Internet for consolidated and extra links at the end of each month!)

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A journey of emotional awareness, where we uncover the power of naming and visualizing your feelings.

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Or, just how many people Julie d'Aubigny can stab on her speed run through life.

The Darker Side of Jane Austen
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