Uses of Shattered Glass
When you gaze upon the broken shards
Of shattered windows
Or fine crystal that slipped from your hand,
Do you sweep it, crestfallen, into trash,
Thinking only that it can now draw blood?
Or do you see in its shimmering,
And razor-sharp edges
The light of possibility?
Look carefully, and you may see jewels—
For tumbled glass, worn smooth
Can make fine pendants—
Or arranged upon the window sill
Can glitter in the morning sun.
In your mind’s eye, do you see
Instead of loss
A grand mosaic,
Or some fused cluster that might sit
Atop your nightstand
And catch the rays of moonlight
Like frozen tears?
And when you gaze upon the broken shards
Of shattered hearts
Once pure
Does it not occur to you
That in this moment, there is more than loss?
Do you not see beauty,
In those fragments
And imagine that the pieces,
Which can cut,
Can also be transformed?
~ Tom Robotham