To form a pearl is both an act of acceptance and resistance: to receive a grain of sand under the skin and lessen irritation by beautifully enveloping it in layers of your inner shell. Shiny-shelled oyster 喊着 sand lozenges is a visual metaphor for language, where every word is a pearl reflecting a version of the world as processed through the self. Pages within contain images of oysters and mouths – a horizontal line may trace between closed lips with the potential to speak, or two shells protecting soft flesh from the storm outside.