TeaPot Stories

Writer & Herbalist/Bruja. A lover of all grandmothers and gardens: May all the metaphors be meditations of light and love. As a child I enjoyed the cringing sound of autumn leaves beneath my feet as the winter approached. New York City is my converse and baby hair mantra. Welcome to an unhoused expression of the African Diaspora & other Observations by Mary Anne Esi.

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yemaya! que lo que! 

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Same-Sex Marriage Legal Nationwide, Supreme Court Rules

The US Supreme Court today made marriage for same-sex couples legal nationwide.

I am thankful for this day. thank you thank you thank you thank you. 

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Dreads?

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9

Yarrow Yarrow is a beautiful wildflower that both repels insect pests and attracts beneficial insects to the garden such as predatory wasps, ladybugs, butterflies and bees. Yarrow is known for its beautiful, intricate leaves and bright flowers and can be effectively used to combat soil erosion. Besides benefitting the garden, this herb can be used as an anti-inflammatory agent, a tonic, astringent, or can be used in a variety of other medical uses. Flowers can be used to make bitters and has been historically used to flavor beer. Due to its hardy nature, yarrow thrives just about anywhere in the garden and comes in a variety of colors, making it excellent for aesthetic and practical purposes in any garden.

Stinging Nettle

stinging nettle is considered a weed by most. Chemical secretions within this plant cause it to burn when handled, so exhibit caution. Despite its drawbacks, stinging nettles are used in a variety of medicines and remedies including gastrointestinal aid, BPH, increasing testosterone in bodybuilding, or as a treatment for rheumatism. The leaves are eaten by many types of caterpillars and will increase the amount of beneficial insects in the garden. Stinging nettles are a natural repellent to aphids and the roots contain anti-fungal properties. Nettle leaves can be cooked as a healthy green or dried and used in herbal teas (soaking in water and cooking eliminate the sting). This weed is extremely beneficial, though care must be taken around the stinging leaves. Nettle is also used for vitality, so if you are trying to slow down on caffein, nettle can give you that morning hit you need! 

Wormwood A strong, but pleasant smelling plant, wormwood is most famously used in absinthe, though can also be used to brew beer, wine, and in making bitters. This hardy bush contains chemicals that are the base of all standard malaria medications, but with wormwood no medication is necessary. It is a natural mosquito repellent, as well as a deterrent for moths, slugs, fleas, flies, and mice. Scattering wormwood around the perimeter of a garden acts as a natural fence to ward off unwanted visitors.

Marjoram/Oregano These perennial herbs are a great addition to nearly any garden. They are unobtrusive to other plants and will increase yields of beans, asparagus, chives, eggplants, pumpkin, squash or cucumbers amongst many others. As long as the light is not being blocked and there is plenty of room for root growth, most plants will thrive alongside both marjoram and oregano. An aromatic mixture of herbs such as mint, spearmint, oregano, lavender or lemon balm can fill any empty spaces in the garden, stifling weed growth.

Mint Everyone needs an herb garden. Besides repelling moths, ants and mice, mint is a great addition to many drinks, desserts, or as a garnish. Keep mint with other similar herbs and they will quickly fill out the space. Cabbage and tomatoes reportedly increase yields in the presence of mint, but proceed with caution. Despite all of its benefits, left on its own mint will take over a garden. It grows back with a vengeance after being cut. That being said, there will be no reason to ever buy mint at a grocery store again. You can also make body freshners to stay cool during the summer!

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Different faces in Merida, Mexico. 

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Before Meditation

That time in your life, as small as a grain of sand, when you become heavy with thoughts of past troubles and pain-you let go. When the smile on your face appears with no effort at the thought of moving forward with everything you want out of this lifetime. When your passion for poetry becomes so big, you forgive all subjects of pain, you forgive all metaphors that still cry, you forgive all apologies unmade by ‘you’. You continue. You continue to walk with your body forward, nothing but strength pulling from some infinity of a thing called, heart. You continue because you have to. Because you know no other way to keep on living. Everything you believe becomes vulnerable to expansion and depth. You change. You continuously transform. And you remember why. You remember the purpose of a breath.

  I am off to Mexico for more breath this year. 

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Photographer captures beauty of Milky Way above US National Parks 

Astrophotographer Dave Lane, 58, has been capturing images of disk shaped galaxy - which cannot be distinguished properly with the naked eye - since early 2011.

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"You carry Mother Earth within you...She is not outside of you. Mother Earth is not just your environment. In that insight of inter-being, it is possible to have real communication with the Earth, which is the highest form of prayer. In that kind of relationship you have enough love, strength and awakening in order to change your life. Changing is not just changing the things outside of us. First of all we need the right view that transcends all notions including of being and non-being, creator and creature, mind and spirit. That kind of insight is crucial for transformation and healing."

Thich Nhat Hanh 

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Our first chapbook finalist is HANIF ABDURRAQIB for his manuscript, The Crown Ain’t Worth Much. Check out (and share!) a sneak peek of the manuscript above, “Ode to Drake, Ending With Blood In A Field” (previously published in drunk in a midnight choir)

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Our sixth chapbook finalist is ANNA MEISTER for her manuscript, the mess of everything. Check out (and share!) a sneak peek of the manuscript above, “Dead Brothers” (previously published in Portland Review)

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wet hair to dry hair. I cannot wait for hair dancing past my hips. 

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"The Sorcerer of the Guitar," making it sing like no one before, with effortless, fluid lines. Also an accomplished composer and vocalist, Francois Luambo Makiadi remains a towering figure even in death, probably the greatest the Congo (later Zaire) has ever produced, and as the leader of the long-running O.K. Jazz group, he was one of the fathers of the modern Congolese sound. Born in the rural village of Sona Bata, his family moved to the capital, Leopoldville, when he was still a baby. By the age of ten he was already the master of a homemade guitar in the Belgian colony. Within a few years he was exposed to both European music, from missionaries, and the Cuban sounds that began to spread like wildfire on the radio.

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it must be stressed that the movement of the tides is not exactly cyclical. What makes the concept of tidalectics fascinating is that, although the ocean appears to be engaged in an endless repetition of the same back and forth movement at every moment, the tide is, in fact, never exactly the same nor does it retreat or return to the same spot of “origin.” The movement of the tides to be experienced everyday on a given coast (low and high tides) is determined by several forces, themselves in constant movement and change: primarily, the gravitational effects of the moon and the sun in combination with the movement of the earth. 

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Tonight's moon is a waxing crescent one. The word "crescent" comes from the Latin verb "to grow" and literally means "waxing" or "increasing". Over time, "crescent" has become to refer to either the waxing or waning shape of the moon. Because of its association with growth, the "crescent" became a symbol for fertility and fecundity e.g., Aphrodite/Venus is often depicted wearing a hair ornament in the shape of a crescent moon.

Whenever the moon is waxing, especially when it's in its crescent phase and is growing, it's a propitious time to begin a new venture, experimenting with new ideas and turning over a new leaf. It's also the time to throw out what you don't need and "clean house", so to speak.  This may mean discarding the excess material things in your life or eliminating those things in your life, which prove unsatisfying and unfulfilling.

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Josephine Baker 

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Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán

Just bought my ticket for my semester in Merida, Mexico. At this moment my scholarly pursuits are taking shape. My goals and dreams are coming true and I am very proud to be a a graduate student on the path for a PhD.