The bowl we wheeled, fired, and glazed
when broken, became the metaphor for us;
a shining heaviness on my lap,
unfit for water or fruit
fusing again, what rejoins
is no longer flawed, but deeper;
our story, refired to epic
by gold veins running through
a clay that melds with grace inside heat
that everyday us
becoming something precious
only after breaking.
From kategl.blogspot.com
Susan Daniels Poetry 
Oh, my, that is beautiful ~ the poem, the glaze, the fusion.
Thank you,.Polly. Believe it or not, this was inspired by a FACEBOOK post, ROFL. I had no idea what I was going to write about, until I saw the picture and the description. Glad you liked. Have to thank David Trudel for sharing the picture, or I would still be scratching my head, wondering what to write about 😉
Truly inspired Susan 🙂
this is really a wonderful image susan…great metaphor…and just love that they repair it with such dignity – makes it even more special than it was before… fantastic image for relationships or life in general…oh…it breaks so often, doesn’t it…mine has gold & silver mending lines all over the place..smiles
I bet it is just beautiful… Smiling back.
Just love this, Susan. I enjoy working in clay so much and you’ve captured that whole “feel.” And the message is powerful.
Thanks so much, Victoria. It really was one of those “instant” poems–not the add water and stir kind, but the kind where you say what the hell am I going to write about, and out of the blue a friend sends you a picture of the very thing you need to translate.
How wonderful to turn a disaster into a triumph. makes me want to smash a pot or two 🙂
and an equally wonderful presentation in words and thought.
A pleasure to come across.
Thanks, Aprille. Me too. I have a few that would look lovely with gold or silver lines running through them 😉
I loved this, the combining of symbol and deeper meaning.
Thanks, Aria.
ah the broken vessel…what a metaphor…or loaded metaphor that one is….and the refiring and repair of it as well…this is life in many ways…the precious after breaking…absolutely love that…
Thank you, Brian–it definitely triggered the idea for the poem, immediately after I saw it.
Another lovely poem. Thank you. The bowl is exactly like one I gave away last summer when I was downsizing and de-materializing. I like the image of remaking an old thing with new beauty. This is good thought for today.
Alice
Alice–thank you. The pottery is so beautiful, and I think there is a lesson in that. Glad you liked.
Fantastic metaphor – the broken bowl, more precious after breaking and being re-fused. Wonderfully written!
Thank you, Sherry.
The image immediately brought to mind the Leonard Cohen song Anthem, and these lines in particular:
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in
I am thrilled that you created such a beautiful poem from something I felt compelled to repost.
Those are great lines from LC. As to the timing–we will call it synchronicity 😉
So glad you did repost.
I love the metaphor that broken things can be made even more precious tha they previously were – but it takes both a lot of work and a lot of heat!
Yes–for both pottery and relationships!
Beautiful
Thank you, Ken. This was one of those split-second poems that hit, already made.
Those are the best. 🙂
I agree–A friend recently quoted Picasso to me–
“Inspiration exists, but it has to find us working.”
Definitely was the case today. I was just mulling over in my head where on earth was I going to find something to describe that suggests a deeper metaphor, and as I was thinking this, David Trudel sent me a picture of a kintsugi bowl with a description of what it is, and why it is done. Gift from the universe, this thought.
Fantastic! I fully agree with Picaso. 🙂
just beautiful, Susan
Miriam, thank you.
do like the bowl and what it represents
Thank you.
I really do appreciate the idea -and the aesthetic concept- behind this poem.
I have a thought: what if you tried this piece as an action poem; a poem about process? The actual remaking of the bowl, in detail, is the process of emotional repair.
I do like what you have done here already, I am just intrigued by the idea that your poem is actually tied up in the actual bowl-making itself, if that makes sense.
Oh! I so get where you are going with this. Holding the pieces, mixing the binding agent, sprinkling and refiring… Oh, that changes the whole piece from something shiny and pretty into something more… More of whatever it is I reach for when I am writing. Thank you, and I will do that!
The crafting process. . . that is what I see embedded in this piece. I would love to see what you could do with that.
Yes–the prompt was to describe a thing… You suggest making that thing (or in this case, re-making), and I love where that could lead. Wonderful suggestion! More hands-on poetry. Oh, now I like the sound of that phrase…
An eloquent and graceful rendition of the Hemingway truth that ‘the world breaks everyone and afterwards many are strong at the broken places’.
DJ–thank you so much. And that is always true…
Oh wow…this is perfect! So true… great poetry 🙂
Dianne, thank you.
I like the use of the bowl as the metaphor of us ~ Good one Susan ~
Thank you, Grace.
beautiful words & a lesson. love it
Thank you, Stacy.
“That everyday us.” Great poem, I like these poems using objects as metaphors. Not always easy to pull off, but you managed to do it with flair!
Thanks, Nico!
Such strong images and the closing stanza WOWed me.
Laurie, thank you.
Love it and I am shouting lol… Flows beautifully
Thanks, Boomie! I think I am going to research this and make a companion poem to this one–instead of describing the piece, I am going to do the process too–Jeremy had a great idea–so you will be seeing this again in a different form 😉
I enjoyed this a lot– the imagery, the poem, and the concept. And I always enjoy learning something new– Kintsugi– thanks for the knowledge 🙂 ~ peace, Jason
Thanks so much. Yes, it is a gorgeous way to repair something, I think.
It is a wonderful way to “honor” a repair rather than attempt to hide the break, symbolically as well. I will carry this image and thought with me for a long time. ~ Jason
Loved what you did with this – and agree – something once broken can become more precious.
Thanks Mike–I agree too, being part of a much repaired vessel myself 😉
A great message supported with strong image I like the hope of repair and future usefulness. I enjoyed much!
Thanks so much, Henri.
That’s a great find, Susan! Ironically enough some things got to be valuable and appreciated more when broken and repaired!
Hank
Thanks Hank. Yes, I loved the life lesson tripped over in ceramics!
Love this one Susan.
Terry, thank you.
…very interesting Susan… funny, i initially have thought of writing a piece incorporating some japanese aspects & languages when i saw the topic today… i always think great images could be formed & better expressed in Japanese theme… But went on by writing a nature themed poem with an unexpected twist… Smiles…
THanks for commenting, Kelvin. Will check yours out now.
Beautiful. Pottery in poetry always inspires me.
Thanks, Gretchen.
A very beautiful poetry, the poet often takes inspiration from the simplest things. This poem shows not only as a simple earthenware broken to reveal a truth. But poetry can also see how the mind of a poet merges with the surroundings.
Oh, thank you!
i keep the broken pieces of favourite things in the garden, maybe one day i can mosaic them into something new.
what a wonderful idea!
As William Carlos Williams might say,
so much depends
upon
your broken
bowl
glazed and
fused
to hold your story
together
Ohhhh–I like what you did here!
Ooh, I like this one. We are creatures who make our way in exploration through trial and error. Where our true test comes is whether we take away a lesson or leave it to experience again until we get it right. I think of this after reading your words, picturing each of us just like that dish. We have our cracks and our fault lines, but wisdom can flow along those spaces and weld them together.
Nelle, so beautifully said. I’d love to see you do a prose piece on this.
Breaking improves the human spirit, at least sometime; clever metaphor…
Thank you, Lindy, and I agree.
So beautiful. Brought a smile to my face.
Thank you!