no one ever taught me

Allison Rafert

how to properly spit watermelon seeds. I have no memories of sitting in plastic lawn chairs on my grandpa’s porch to send seeds flying into the suburban lawn they don’t slide off my lip in home videos and clumsily tumble down my chin before I learn technique from grandpa’s mouth full of german beer

I never celebrated a successful launch with a nice one or pat on the back— and not just because I am the least favorite grandchild it’s petty and it’s small and it probably wouldn’t have been a formative moment, it doesn’t put me at some great disadvantage or in a poorly conditioned state, but it didn’t happen and I wish it did because now I have to teach myself how to spit watermelon seeds, and there is saliva all over my kitchen floor

Mycelium, My City, My Roots

Leila Rocha Fisher

We are Mycelium, an intricate network of thread-like roots sharing knowledge, resources, and stories across thousands of acres. This ancient, uniquely interconnected, strong yet fragile system runs all along the world, forming the bedrock of communities and filling in the cracks of our cities.