Kintsugi — For Laura

©Photo by AJVallee

Kintsugi
The ancient japanese art
of mending broken ceramics
With a bond of Gold

Beyond its zen principle of
Wabi Sabi
I find
in it
The best metaphor for us
Heroes
Journeying through Life

We are born a bowl
A vase
We carry ourselves through Life
We trip and stumble
We fall and break

We are taught to
Stay the course
Keep busy
Keep walking
But the road is bumpy
And we break a little more along the way

Overtime
Through loss and hurt
We miss more and more pieces
Unable to fully use our vessel
To quench our thirst
Or feed our soul

In order to sustain the journey
and keep a functional bowl
We ought to go back on our steps
And look for what’s lost
We ought to take time
To collect it all

It certainly is
an inconvenient task
It requires energy
It’s painful and overwhelming
It leaves us tired
Dreary
Our hands full of fragments
From a search that often feels like
A waste of time

And once we gathered it all
We are not
Through
We need to put it
Back together
In a way that makes
Sense
Now

Yet that GOLD
That precious bond we need
isn’t handed to us
Ready-made
We have to find the fault
Mine the metal
Melt it
Master the alchemy

But if we arm ourselves
with Patience and curiosity
Help is offered
In unexpected ways

Hints come
through songs and overheard
Conversations
Skills and tools provided
By gatekeepers we meet
Tips shared
Through serendipitous encounters
And a helping hand
Is offered
By friends old and new
as we hold it all together
a little
Longer

And so we lean into it
we hold on tight
For only us
Can pour that GOLD
And fill the cracks
Damaged but beautiful
Broken but whole
Weary but useful
Rest assured
It’s not all for naught

Inevitably
We leave a trace behind
Dust from the chips that broke
So finely
And bits we couldn’t find
So we find solace in the fact
that
They may be of use to the next person
Coming along

Luckily we also leave behind
Specks of gold
A reminder to those following
That riches are waiting
ahead
in the precious opportunity
to be whole
Again