5 Poems

By Mike Turner

Kintsugi

I don’t remember the first time my heart broke
But it has been broken many times
And put back together, piece by piece
Some of my own effort, some the comfort of others
Silent tears running as moonlit rivers
In some ways, the breaks have made my heart more fragile
Or perhaps it’s that I’ve become more wary
Yet in others, they’ve made me stronger
Realizing little by little, time after time
That regardless the ache
The broken heart can mend again
Some repairs have been stitch-and-glue affairs
Shape not quite the same, perhaps some small parts lost
Others have been exquisite
As the Japanese custom of kintsugi
Repairing pottery shards with gold-filled seams
Yielding something more beautiful than the original
Now, as age and time make themselves known
Cherished family and old friends falling away
Faster and more frequently
I suspect - I know - my heart will be broken again
Yet shall continue to mend, and be mended
Wiser, more tolerant, seasoned
Feeling less pain, than nostalgia and longing
As the last old remnants are exhausted
Leaving only the gold
Which at last, sustains me

Portending

We did not know
the future’d passed
This here and now
would be our last
Did not portend
this present’s cost
Nor all tomorrows
which we had lost
A brittle leaf falls from the tree
In these few moments left to be
Leaving limbs empty and bare
Winter’s bleakness filling air
And though this lifetime’s now dismissed
Oh! Let us end it with a kiss

The Other Three Poems

Night
I lie awake
Listening to the silent echo
Of your absent
Heart

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Love will spring eternal
And so long as lives in mem’ry
Love shall never die

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Yesterday’s but memory
Tomorrow but a gleam
Today’s the day to love and share
And realize all our dreams

Mike Turner was named 2025 Poet of the Year by the Alabama State Poetry Society. He has more than 500 poems published in over 150 international journals, anthologies and literary sites. Mike’s book, Visions and Memories (Sweetycat Press, 2021) is available on Amazon.