Black Dog Kintsugi
Freeform poetry from the introspective collection, Black Dog, that runs with a folkloric figure that is often associated with misfortune and used as a metaphor for depression. Black Dog looks at this figure and gives him a voice, letting him bark back at a society that's already made up its mind about him.
He’s grown dull,
a dropped vessel,
only sharp around the edges where he’s meant to join,
the smashed cup whose pattern lost all meaning
since the crash.
The most beautiful thing about him
was the sound he made when, finally,
he shattered.
There’s no patience for a damaged thing,
not whole enough to hold anything in,
and no value to knowing him
in pieces.
But run gold through him,
and see the cracks come alive, a hurt made precious.
each tear and breakage rendered molten,
mended and imperishable,
until all he’s made of is a web
of everything that ever made him
come apart.