Autopsy of a Broken Teacup
A poem by Marissa Chalmers

Autopsy of a Broken Teacup 

Hundreds of tiny shards, shattered 
all sharp edges, begging for blood at a touch 
scattered across the floor in a very particular order 
to tell of the fall; the catalyst that caused the wreckage. 

Was it accidental? 
An unintentional tip of the saucer. 
A careless act, where care 
should have been taken. 

Was it done in anger? 
Thrown to release a rage. 
To make a point, a punctuation mark 
with red-marked white porcelain. 

Was it dropped in despair? 
The physical manifestation of invisible emotion. 
The release of the handle 
like the release of hope. 

Does it even matter, really, how it shattered? 
Will it make a difference to count every bit it broke into; 
will it ever be enough, any amount of glue, 
to put every piece back into place. 

Unless perhaps the glue could be gold… 
could make shine the sharpest edge, and gaps would glow. 
Replacing the mislaid and missing bits with better elements, 
strong enough to hold it all together. 

To hold its purpose, 
liquid essence of existence. 
So refilled and lined with light, 
would the Teacup say thank you? 

To the rushing mother,  
never enough  
time for tea  
anyway. 

To the screaming child 
finding herself 
finding Mama’s kiss on a cup 
instead of her check. 

To the fading woman,  
done with living  
in shadows thrown  
by flickering gaslight. 

Now does it matter, really, how it shattered? 
Will it make a difference to recount every bit it broke into 
every time it’s taken out and filled with tea, 
held by hands steadier now, 
hearing thirsty lips whisper 
kintsugi. 

About the Author:

Marissa Chalmers is an American expat living in Bavaria, Germany with her husband and 2 small children. She is an avid collector of words, longtime lover of alliteration, and fascinated by poetry’s unique way of processing the human experience through language. Most of her work can currently be found in journals stashed in drawers, scraps of paper in forgotten pockets, and unfinished iPhone notes.

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