Ode to a Vase


Solitary as myself you are,
And, as well, iridescent,
Your crystal clarity is
Different from me in many ways,
Although
We have both have
Lived almost fifty-two years,
Reflecting the pain that
Has surrounded us,
Stalwart we stand,
Never shattered,
In spite of all the stones
That have been thrown at both of us
Over the years-
As I look at your glassy surface,
I do not even see a crack-
In your foundation
I see the reflection of my face as
Mirrored by your sheen,
Sad at times we are,
Though not blemished,
Smooth-skinned, and flawless,
We have remained unbreakable.
If you had eyes,
You would see me as I see you,
Getting older,
But each time the rain washes over us
We become rejuvenated,
Clearer and more pristine than before-
Isn’t it amazing how
In spite of all the times we have both fallen,
We have remained unbroken and
Not in shattered pieces upon the ground,
And with each year we live
The more exquisite we seem to become?
Isn’t it amazing how
Pillars of strength seem to fall and break
With just a touch or jostled by a gust of wind
Or mountains are washed away at sea,
While high cliffs are weathered by the ocean’s waves?
Would one ever believe that
Some of the smallest trees I have known of stand against a storm, and
Their branches are never fallen by the wind? And
Who would have ever known that
There had been a time or days that
We only lived for holding flowers?

Claudia Krizay (schizoclaud)