“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
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
Björn Rudbergs writings 
Excellent work Bjorn! The image of tumbling glass is now lurking in my head.
Thank you… I love finding a metaphor that works
This is just beautiful
Thank you, metatphors working is good.
Indeed ! 👍🏼
I love the image of rainbow of shards! A most stunning haibun, Bjorn 💙💙
But as we age and loose our edge we also dull.
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!
Thank you… it was a good quote to start with. I hope to read her books soon.
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.
Not until we are sand, invisible to the world..
I like to think our future is one of eternal destiny, that there is more beyond the dust this body will return to.
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.
Thank you… the quote made me think that way
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 🙂
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
Healing from childhood lasts forever. It is an achievement to soar through a metaphor.
The smoothing away of the sharp cutting edge of broken glass by attrition is surely symbolic of something. I can never decide what.
this was so very beautiful–
i want to rescue the sea-glass before it becomes the beach!
This is profound and beautiful poetry and philosophy.
I had wondered if you read her work. There’s so much to think about in your prose, and the haiku is beautiful!
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’!
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…
This is an amazing way to present a life through ego to we and then…. Sand and glass imagery amazing.
such a powerful final line before the haiku, Bjorn
That is a stunning haiku, Björn. That metaphor worked so well.
It is a beautiful thing to see the beauty of others, and the transformation of view from I to we. Nicely worked, Bjorn.
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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