medullah

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this is what it means to be human

Everything, Mary Oliver

The Breathing, Denise Levertov

A Prayer by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The Laughing Heart by Charles Bukowski

Like a Small Café, That’s Love by Mahmoud Darwish (translated by Mohammad Shaheen)

Having a Coke with You by Frank O’Hara

Eating Together by Li-Young Lee

The Orange by Wendy Cope

The Quiet Machine, Ada Limón

To Go Mad, Paruyr Sevak

Our Beautiful Life When It’s Filled with Shrieks by Christopher Citro

Hammond B3 Organ Cistern, Gabrielle Calvocoressi

Peace XVIII, Khalil Gibran

Your Unripe Love, Paruyr Sevak (from “Anthology of Armenian poetry")

Here and Now by Peter Balakian

Ich finde dich (I find you) by Rainer Maria Rilke

The Thing Is by Ellen Bass

One Art by Elizabeth Bishop

Miss you. Would like to take a walk with you. by Gabrielle Calvocoressi

I Want to Write Something So Simply by Mary Oliver

What's Not to Love by Brendan Constantine

Where does such tenderness come from? by Marina Tsvetaeva

You Are Tired (I Think) by E. E. Cummings

Living With the News by W.S.Merwin

What the Living Do by Marie Howe

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this winter, i've really leaned into expanding my scent palate to reflect approaching the end of my twenties. fragrance has taught me so much about self-concept, and what it means to explore creation as a means of giving a tangible essence to memory.

notes i'm leaning toward rn:

resin (incense, copal, amber, myrrh)

oud

woods (vetiver, palo santo, akigalawood)

rose

white florals (jasmine sambac, tuberose)

perfumes i'm enjoying:

lattafa khamrah

notes: (top) cinnamon, nutmeg, bergamot, (middle) dates, praline, tuberose, mahonial, (base) vanilla, tonka bean, amberwood, myrrh, benzoin, akigalawood

profile: unisex, more feminine

ok, this is a perfume that i accidentally let macerate and all i can say is it maceration works. sometimes your perfume has to rest for a little while to activate, and i'm so thankful that happened with this one. she's warm, spicy, and sweet, reminiscent of a spiced boozy dessert. she's a grown gourmand, equally feminine and sexy.

salt + stone black rose & oud

notes: (top) black rose, lily of the valley, (middle) mahogany, oud, (base) amber, vetiver

profile: unisex

i learned about this brand through a friend's recommendation of their santal and vetiver deodorant. this scent, however, was so polarizing to me that i smelled it at least five separate times until finally deciding to buy this scent in both deodorant and spray forms. honestly, i enjoy wearing this in my hair. it's a body mist, but lasts just as long as an edp. it's mysterious, intoxicating, and almost peppery - most days i can't decide whether i love or hate it, but i can't stop smelling it. it smells like a summer night out in nyc - a crisp rose, standing out in a smoky haze.

at my bodega* lmao i've never related more

rosendo mateu noº 5

notes: (top) spices, exotic floral notes, (middle) carnation, lily-of-the-valley, (base) amber, vanilla, musk

profile: feminine

this was another initially polarizing scent for me. on the first spray, it smells almost rubbery until it fades into a cloud of amber and spicy florals. it's warm emanates off of the skin like a halo. it's perfect for an intimate night or one spent out and about. this scent will trail you wherever you go, addictingly.

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artist: ana clerici

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artist: margaret jeane

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Diane Di Prima, from ‘Pieces of a Song’

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Pretend, for example, that you were born in Chicago and have never had the remotest desire to visit Hong Kong, which is only a name on a map for you; pretend that some convulsion, sometimes called accident, throws you into connection with a man or a woman who lives in Hong Kong; and that you fall in love. Hong Kong will immediately cease to be a name and become the center of your life. And you may never know how many people live in Hong Kong. But you will know that one man or one woman lives there without whom you cannot live. And this is how our lives are changed, and this is how we are redeemed.

What a journey this life is! Dependent, entirely, on things unseen. If your lover lives in Hong Kong and cannot get to Chicago, it will be necessary for you to go to Hong Kong. Perhaps you will spend your life there, and never see Chicago again. And you will, I assure you, as long as space and time divide you from anyone you love, discover a great deal about shipping routes, airlines, earth quake, famine, disease, and war. And you will always know what time it is in Hong Kong, for you love someone who lives there. And love will simply have no choice but to go into battle with space and time and, furthermore, to win.

—James Baldwin, The Price of the Ticket

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Adit Priscilla by Écoute Chérie for Dry Clean Only Magazine FW23

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obsessed w this ("Dostoevsky as lover", Henrik Karlsson)

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Adit Priscilla by Ecoute Chérie for Dry Clean Magazine November 2023

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recently i've been getting into notes that are less sweet and gourmand.... idk i'll always be a vanilla girl at heart, but as we approach the fall and the weather is perfect for wearing louder fragrances i've been really leaning more into deeper, more complex scents that tell more of a story on my skin. i feel it's also a symptom of getting older and shedding the more comfortable parts of me to continue in the path of the becoming the woman that i am

notes i'm leaning towards rn:

incense, myrrh

oud

woods

earth, clay

new perfumes i'm enjoying:

armani/prive oud royal

notes: agarwood, incense, sandalwood, saffron, rose

profile: unisex

with oud... if you get it, you get it. this smells super similar to bakhoor. smoky, sweet, sexy, spicy. perfect for a breezy night.

byredo slow dance

notes: (top) opoponax, cognac, (middle) labdanum, violet, geranium, (base) vanilla, patchouli, incense

profile: unisex

boozy, spiced dessert with lovely florals. it leans a bit on the sweet side, which i would love to try layering with more woody and green scents for balance.

alkemia silken tent

notes: candied angelica, chrysanthemum, nardo, jasmine-scented rice pudding, blonde caramel, golden amber

profile: feminine

the herbs are mouthwatering. i seriously cannot stop smelling myself whenever i wear this one. i did have to let it age for a bit for the rice pudding note to come in, but once it did, it was creamy without being too sweet. 10/10.

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“AFRODHIT” by IZA

Album Art shot by Mar+Vin

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Anne Carson, from The Glass Essay

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scent of the day: byredo slow dance + alkemia ghost fire

byredo slow dance

notes: (top) oponopax, cognac, (heart) labdanum, violet, geranium, (base) vanilla, patchouli, incense

alkemia ghost fire

notes: white amber

so sexy. this smells like nuzzling your neck into your lover and then realizing two hours have passed by without you knowing. slow dance is an earthy resin of sweetness, spicy incense, and spilled liquor. the cognac is syrupy sweet, almost leaning towards a cola. the florals serve as a bridge between the dense patchouli incense smoke and sweetness of the oponopax and vanilla. it is date night-worthy in its own right, but paired with ghost fire adds an ambery warmth that emanates throughout. this combo smells like when your cheeks flush and you can't tell if it's from your date's flirting or loosening up after your first drink. your body heat begins to rise as you fall victim to your attraction. i can't wait to wear this on nights out or nights in...

occasion: [fall/winter], dates, dancing, romance

profile: a true unisex, but i’d love to smell this as a masculine scent

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artist: natalia vico