Becoming the beach

· by · in dVerse, haibun, haiku, poetry. ·

“Time was a wave, almost cruel in its relentlessness.”
― Han Kang, The Vegetarian

Often as I age I think about sea-glass, I still remember the sharp edges, my toddler-rage, when my wants, my desires was everything all, the world was me, I was everything, I, I, I., but as I aged I discovered the world in ever wider circles, beyond my street there were other streets, meadows and forests, and  I battled with others. In anguish and in pain, my edges rounded and one day I noticed the beauty in others. but what I had gained in smoothness I lost in clarity, my inner translucent self was shielded in opacity. The concept of we grew stronger as my presence on earth diminished. I saw my future in sand as the waves of time ground me down, and looking skyward I wondered if part of my future was there in none and nothing.

a rainbow of shards — 
tumbling in relentless surf
becoming the beach

By Larsgl – Own work, Public Domain

Yesterday Sanaa opened Open Link Night at dVerse, and I was busy at a concert. I had thought about doing something about the Nobel Prize in litterature: Kan Jang from South Korea. I had never heard of her books and she was not among the candidates I had heard of before hand. To at least do something I googled for quotes and found one to use in a haibun.

October 11, 2024

29 responses to “Becoming the beach”

  4. Having collected sea glass a number of times when we used to spend January and February in Bermuda, I am especially taken with this write of yours. The idea that we are sea glass….beginning with the sharp edges of I, I, I and then being tumbled about, being tossed in the wider world, and our edges smoothing out, becoming aware of the we…this is a wonderful write!

  5. Beautifully written. There is a glory in aging into the wisdom of “we”. Black and white fades to gray. Right and Wrong become a more complex discussion and the edges of our judgment become softened with the glory of mercy. It is not so bad, this fading into the West.

  6. Perhaps it takes a bit of tumbling to smooth out the rough edges to see the reflection of beauty within. Just a thought. Growing makes us aware of how expansive the world actually is and there is so much yet to discover in life. A wonderful write woven with in depths thoughts. Truly enjoyed.

  7. I love the analogy you use here with the “I” melting into a “we” over time and with wisdom, like individualism and collectivism, and how one’s edges may be sharper with “I” than the “we”, which is a merging of. A very thought-provoking write 🙂

  8. The sharp shards weathered by the sea is such a powerful metaphor, but also a picturesque one, intensely visual, and it fits so well, with that opaqueness. Superbly dosed haibun & fitting haiku

  14. I enjoyed your reading today, Björn, and because I sometimes miss nuances, I enjoyed exploring it myself. Yes, we will all end up becoming beach. I love the extended sea glass metaphor, the sharp edges of youth and the edges rounded by age. What a lovely thought, to become a ‘rainbow of shards tumbling in relentless surf’!

  15. Sometimes one has to see a piece written down to grasp its meaning but hearing you read this yesterday, Björn, it was as clear as glass…

  20. What a wonderful haibun of a journey worth having, from “me” to “we,” and perhaps not as obliterating of self as we think but rather liberating.

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