raw almonds, alive with nutrients, not cooked, salted, or preserved, soak in a cold water bath overnight. bloated almonds' brown, rough shells, etched in white jagged lines, stretch, wrinkle, and tear. clean hands scoop almonds out of fragrant bath, tinted grey and murky with debris. thumbs and forefinger grip each almond, sliding peel off to show smooth nut, chipped or whole. bare almonds, vulnerable in the nude, lie drying in a colander. their cracked brown shells pile up in a heap, discarded for organic compost. raw thumbs, sore and numb after pinching, squeezing, and rubbing so many almonds, feel foliated, thumb prints now etched in white jagged lines. Dedicated to Lisa