Begun in September 2020, finished October 10, 2020 – additional title added 2.26.2025
I am a broken pot
It is never wise to behave or act too proudly
For when I fell, I cracked and I cried out loudly
And bemoaning my crack I let myself break further
Until the pieces were strewn and I was asunder
I felt I had lost anything that mattered
I went from cracked to completely shattered
I had to get away and let myself wander
Before I could take the fragments and fit them back together
And when I tried they wouldn’t stay assembled
No matter how hard I tried, I’d cry and tremble
“You need some glue!” someone finally said to me
“You need to be true and be willing to love, don’t you see”
And bit by bit I found most of my pieces
Fit them together with love as an adhesive
You can fight what’s inside you and go to a shrink
Letting caring guide you is easier than you think
And if you should meet me and see the lines on my skin
Each crease and wrinkle part of my journey within
And to embrace the struggle of the pain of each day
Means I am alive to love and hold the fear at bay.
Every chip and filled crack every piece out of place
Every odd spacing or light crazing are lines upon my face
And I am a broken pot not stately or too elegant
I am a mended pot trying not to be arrogant
I am proud to be a broken pot.
Author’s note: In Japanese culture there is an art form called Kintsuge which is the art of reassembling broken ceramics and celebrating the cracks with gold or other materials. Here is an article on the idea. This could have easily been titled Kintsuge.