Tanita hosts our Poetry Friday posts this weekend
at {fiction, instead of lies}
Join us!
a poet’s work
fill the cracks before they shatter
gather shards before they slice
scatter pieces on the table
puzzle out which ones matter
divine the mystery in mosaic
trace the patterns in the pain
write the beauty in the broken
poems rise from the prosaic
…Or maybe this should be titled “a mother’s work”?
Patricia Franz writes picture books and poetry. She believes children, dogs, and sourdough have a lot to teach us about life, joy, and wonder. She has raised two boys, four dogs, and holds a master’s degree in Theology with a focus on children’s spirituality. Patricia, her husband, her Bernese Mountain dog, Bonny, and her sourdough starter split their time between the Arizona desert and the Sierra Nevada mountains.
What about Mothers & Poets? Great poetic view of process…that repetition of “before” is effective. It gives me, the reader, some power.
Beautiful Patricia, I’m feeling the Japanese Kintsugi quality of your poem, especially in…write the beauty in the broken, poems rise from the prosaic. Powerful, and to me, comforting in addressing the struggles we all face in everyday life.
Oh, WOW. 🤯
I need to noodle on this mosaic – this poem has such depth to uncover. It’s very much both wabi-sabi and Kintsugi focused for me – imperfection and then choosing the imperfection to limn with beauty. My favorite concept is “gather shards before they slice.” That’s what processing through poetry often looks like for me – gently handling something sharp and rendering it less dangerous. Beautiful, beautiful!