Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust, Clay to Kintsukuroi

Photograph of a broken eggshell.My deep purple vase sat proudly on the dining room table of our tiny home.

Black sand from Te Henga was the temper I had worked into the clay.

Temper helps clay to withstand thermal shock. Temper doesn’t help clay withstand the shock from a husband who, the more he drank, the more certain he became that I was sleeping with Jonathan. Temper doesn’t help clay withstand being thrown at the fireplace.

Kintsukuroi is the Japanese twist of repairing broken pottery with gold. My purple vase with its golden spider web now sits, slightly wobbly, on my new apartment’s mantle.

Susan Hatters Friedman is a psychiatrist specializing in forensic psychiatry and maternal mental health. She studied satire writing with the Second City.

Photo Credit: Andreas Levers

3 Responses to “Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust, Clay to Kintsukuroi”

  1. Masien Armtrout says:

    I really enjoyed this story. It was very touching, and an amazing example of flash fiction. It helped to elevate my vocabulary. It was a very unique approach to the image; and explored interesting concepts. I really like the cultural touch.

  2. Alyssa says:

    LOVE this!

  3. What we insist to keep, what (& who) we put aside forever speaks volumes of who we are. Awesome flasher. Thanks.

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