You Must Tap Their

image by yi chin lin

you must tap their

you must tap their
shells for signs of
life before it is safe
to place mussels
in boiling wine.
if they shiver and
pull their slippery
coats around
themselves a little
tighter, count
yourself blessed –
as soon as it gets
unbearable, they
will open up to you.
and you may want to
use as little wine as
possible – they let
go so naturally
.

Yi Ching Lin

Posted over on her site Yi's Bits