October’s writing prompt was Salt. Here we showcase all the responses that were submitted.
Salt writing prompt: In the air, on your tongue, caught at the back of your throat. Flaked over fish and chips eaten from wooden forks as the waves crash over your feet. Minerals from the ground. Crystallised, pure, it sparkles in the light. Bring it to your lips. Taste it. Let it melt in your mouth.
Salt of My Wound
You opened me once,
and I never stopped bleeding.
Now I wear the pain like skin
thin, trembling,
alive only where it hurts.
You were the knife and the cure,
the fever that stayed after the fire died.
Every touch, a promise
that pain could be devotion.
Every leaving,
a lesson in how love unlearns its mercy.
I don’t heal anymore.
I just collect the echoes
your breath, your cruelty,
the warmth that still crawls beneath my ribs.
There are nights I taste the air
and it tastes like you —
bitter, metallic,
beautiful in its ruin.
You’re the salt of my wound.
And I keep touching it,
pressing harder,
just to feel the life
leaking out slow.
by Shaden Ali (@dirtydishesdirtypoems Insta)
Candle light
The window’s breath blows out my candle
The one that smells like nothing but smoke
And has a salty taste
It was a summer night
The kind where humidity screams out of tune
And I was so hungry
There was canned food in the pantry,
Leftover soup that I could bring to a simmer
But for a reason unknown
I was repulsed by the idea of consumption
So I went back to my boiling room
And the candle was pouring out wax
Covering my floor like a bad nick from a razor
And when I get a nick I let my mouth cover it
An automatic habit
That I fear will inspire obscenity
So I put my mouth to the wax
And I was overcome with the salty flavor
Crystallized nourishment
I lapped it up like a dog does to a pond
Now it’s October
And the light on the candle
Goes out by the window’s breath.
by Lila Larsen
table salt
love the night before
gave your lips a seasoning
tasted once after
leaving
mid-day
i’d strain you apart
from your ocean eyes
and sandy skin
shake you on
my breakfast
high cholesterol became a problem
but so are bland bread days
yolk aching hours
and mash potatoes minutes
before the mouth
there was bath
soaked within your abrasive texture
you absolved
against my skin
my steam
everywhere and in between
you melt me
mostly
through a snowed in chest
made memories of
this that last forever
till you cover my tongue
shaking into stinging wounds
to set you back on the table
if i knock you over by accident
will bad luck go loose on me?
will the world forget me as good?
flavorful fever
forgetful and
in love
always a thought
that ends up too salty
by atm.itm (@atm.itm Insta)
swim press 