🧂 "Not sharp anymore."

Salt: 1

You need salt. You’re more likely to crave it when you’re dehydrated. Or when you’re stressed, tired, pregnant, sick, iron deficient, drunk… Maybe just bored?

The body uses sodium to balance its water levels, which regulate necessary functions like muscle movement, nerve response, and blood pressure.. So if you’re a human, the link between water and salt is vital for your survival. 

But not all pairings are meant to last. With that in mind, this week we’re featuring a poem from Mackenzie Moore about cooking, pairs, and sharp edges. We enjoyed Moore’s writing for its wry take on safety and reliability — and its undeniably salty tone. 

Salty doesn’t always have to mean bitter, though. Scroll to the bottom for this week's Last Slice: a refreshing video about gardening that we consider real salt of the earth stuff.

And a few reminders: 

— We are open for submissions on the theme of Salt until June 30. We’ll accept and publish all forms of submissions including (but not limited to) music, visual art, writing, dance, and TikToks. 

— And throughout the month of June, all proceeds from our Issue 1 sales will benefit Flatbush United Mutual Aid. Hard copies of the mag ring in at $15 and a digital PDF is available for $10.  

Kitchen Safety

By Mackenzie Moore

You see I have this paring knife.

It’s been with me through three cities. 

I love it. 

I understand how it moves. 

But it’s just not sharp anymore,

and no matter who I take it to, 

or what angle the steel’s ground on

it can’t hold a goddamn edge, anymore. 

It dulls reliably. 

That’s helpful, in theory. 

In practice, it’s disappointing. 

We understood how to 

cut and dice and chiffonade, for the other. 

But some parings leave even the good things sloppy—

we just couldn’t hold an edge, anymore. 

---

About the Artist

Mackenzie Moore is a writer and illustrator based in Los Angeles who writes for television and podcasting. She currently has poems in Mineral Lit Vol 2 and The Northridge Review. She believes bagels heal most wounds.

✨LAST SLICE✨

So much banana bread, propagating, and DIY. Let this woman’s soothing voice and aunt-like presence guide you through some gardening hacks.