She pried open the shells all day.Or cracked them with a hammerextracting the purple veinalong the hinge of the shell.They were hard to open.She broke the handle on her little knife.She left the worm inside to dieor gave it to the poor to eat.Then wiped the white-washed walland left a purple hand. Featured Download: If…

Tyrian purple [ancient Greek πορφύρα, Latin porphúra] from a species of predatory sea snails in the family Muricidae, originally known as Murex. In ancient times, extracting this dye involved tens of thousands of snails and substantial labor.  The main chemical is 6,6’ –dibromoindigo. One of Paul’s first converts in Asia— a certain woman named Lydia,…

It was a long time ago on a farm.  The cows horse pigs chickens.  The pond cellar farmhouse barn sheds hay-wagon fenced-fields a definition of function.  On the table a fork butter-knife coal-bucket by the stove pump- handle.  The dirt road is the oldest part of memory. Wild animals roamed at night.  Hyena aardvark wart-hog…