Editor's Note
Burnt Bread

During my brief stint in the Australian Air Force Cadets, I heard many-a-weird and wonderful stories. One story involved the reattaching of a severed finger using super glue. Yes. Superglue. Apparently the composition of the glue allows the tissue to bond and heal through it. Therefore, not only does it attach the severed limb, it also facilitates it healing. I hope I’m never in a position to test that theory.

A tree in our yard had to be cut down due to neighbour complaints. It was an old solid blood wood struggling on after lightning had hit it a couple of years back. The first week after the tree was cut down, the stump was raw and drops of dark red sap gathered in a ring around the bark. Two weeks after, the sides of the stump were deeply cracked and dark. One day after rain I bent down to examine the stump closely and found a tiny sprout poking out from within a particularly deep crack. The next day, three more sprouts had sprung from similar cracks and some of them bore the beginnings of leaves. Now the blood wood is once again alive in a busy nest of branching stems, dark green leaves and cautious optimism.

The topic of this bi-monthly issue was Limbs. I have received a range of submissions from opinions about public displays of affection to insensitive limb jokes. We all begin somewhere with our writing and from this foundation, a hundred thousand different ideas may sprout. These ideas become the limbs of our work. We might follow through with some ideas much like a tree strengthens some branches over others. Every decision we make to follow through, to change, or to let go of our conceptions makes us unique. Our writing might split, stretch, merge or flower. There will be times when it seems as though everything we’ve built is stripped from us, but know that it is possible to rebuild from this.

So whether it be a story that fails to save, or a notebook that’s left in the rain, don’t be afraid to start over and develop new limbs and outlooks. Otherwise, get back to me on how that superglue is working for you, I’ll update the issue to include your experience.