Kintsugi

By Keeley Bernard

I spent years making the perfect pottery

with no blemishes in sight

But it broke so easily

within just one night

I didn’t mean to break it

It was accidental

If I could go back in time

I would be more gentle

How can I fix it?

It can never be good as new.

One mistake ruined everything,

What can I possibly do?

Instead of trying to fix it

I wallow in fear

The perfection is gone

It has disappeared

But now that it’s broken

I can finally see

that it wasn’t perfect

And I no longer have to lie to me

I analyze the cracks

of the previously “perfect” antique

and I realize now

that the blemishes make it unique

I will not seek once again

to create the perfect pottery

Instead, I will seek

to highlight the oddities

So when I “fix” the mistake

I will make sure it is bold

Yes, I will make sure

the mistake shines in gold

Kintsugi,

is what this process is called

The broken parts are fixed with gold

as to make you enthralled

Kintsugi is a Japanese art

where the broken pieces are admired

And to have perfection is actually

not at all desired

The goal is to highlight the scars,

and make the pottery even more resilient

because even when it is broken,

The pottery is still brilliant.

About the Author

Keeley Bernard, Tuskegee University

Keeley Bernard is a senior double majoring in English and mathematics at Tuskegee University. She is a 2024–2025 HBCU White House Scholar, a Tuskegee University Presidential Scholar, and an Alvin Blount Scholarship recipient. She hopes to one day become an HBCU president, working to address educational inequalities and give back to the communities that have given her so much, including Mother Tuskegee.