I broke a mug
I broke a mug and
It broke me
I didn’t know it contained so many
Gasps and repeated Oh Nos!
Stunned for those ten or twelve seconds
I bent down and cradled each piece
Each coffee and tea-stained fragment
A personal decade-long history
From allotment shed, a gift,
To kitchen…all those sunrises…
“Days of miracle and wonder
Don’t cry baby, don’t cry”
I broke a mug and
It broke me
It didn’t let the light out
Through the cracks
That’s not how it felt
Light, I find, is a heavy thing
It pours out like lead
In the furnace of sorrow
Watch now as I piece together
The jigsaw with glue
The grave can wait a while
You have more coffee to carry
I broke a mug and
It broke me