Lump of Clay

a lump of clay
slapped
tapped
pinched
stroked
smoothed
shaped
into a form -
a first step,
a lesson in reverence
and surrender,
and yet,
of no use
to the world,
as I am,

and so I'm burnt
at the stake,
fired in the oven
of this impermanence,
heartbreak,
and breakdown
by Life,
holding the fire
that feeds, burns
and hardens me,
inside walls,
that will break
and soften again
some day,
back into
an ordinary
lump of clay.