The Broken Marble
24March 23, 2019 by petrujviljoen
I’m touchy – very. The slighest touch and I’m up in arms. Or I’m curled up in bed with the blanket over my head. Or I’m stutterin’ and protestin’ in self-defence, knees shaking, finger pointing blubbering self-defence. One can, of course be up in arms while one is curled up in bed with the blanket over one’s head. Mumbling in grumbling amid protestations of ‘’I can’t deal with this’’. Whatever the ‘this’ may be under any particular set of circumstances.
I’m touchy = I’m defensive. Rising above the situation? Hey! Who do you think I am? Buddha? Jeez, if only!
Don’t know where I found it. This broken marble. Maybe it was in the road, where the hole is forming in which cars can get stuck if they’re not careful. I’ve been in cars that talk back so I know it’s the cars that have to be careful! I also know I’ve been digging around the hole to see how far it will go before it resists. It’s important these things. Any hole forming, anywhere, any time,should be tested (or touched [on]) to see it’s potential for growing.
My brother had a hole in his foot which grew and grew and they had to cut off his little toe to save the whole. The situation with my brother is somewhat touchy and I won’t explore this hole any further. It resisted.
Maybe I was in the veld. Exploring. Often looking up at the sky to see if I can see the hole in the ozone layer. Through it, the scorching sun bearing down on all of us. Industry isn’t going to stop to explore this particular hole the world (and its commonly gullible people) finds itself in. [I can just hear them: who do you call gullible? Save it darling: we all are.]
Wholeness: I’ll leave it for a next exploration. Something I’ve been working towards. There’s this medicine bottle I found some time ago, clogged with mud; its emptiness, thereby its usefulness, (thanks Lao Tzu) to be plumbed. Meaningful peace – now that will be something!
Maybe I was in the garden, digging up the daisies. Daisies! Nothing but a weed! Clogs up everything so it won’t grow. The thorn tree grew a mile upward, reaching to the sky in a day since it’s been unclogged from daisies. So did the sacred bamboo – shot out new shoots nearly as high as my head — I’ve made up my mind, I found the three-quarter big marble in the garden, digging up the daisies. A three-quarter marble, or two thirds if you like, sum of its whole.
Better than nothing I say. You dare criticise, scoff at my three-quarter, two-thirds, pock-marked marble I’ll give you a reason to be touchy and that’s a fact! Just see if I can’t!This three-quarter, two-thirds wholeness has a heart I’ll have you know! Just see if you can see it. Bet you can’t! You haven’t even any marbles, let alone a three-quarter, two-thirds one bearing a heart! So there!!
A marble lost because one has to grow up and function in a man-made hole, world I mean, is a marble found, unwhole, but evidence of what once was, or could be peaceful still in all its heartily scruffy brokenness.
All images (and text) copyright Petru J Viljoen
First inspired by Claudia McGill
petrujviljoen 
Very timely with the latest news of a black hole in space that is bigger than the Milky Way! 😳 The universe is incredible.
a nice ramble, this post … a partial marble like ones uncovered in fallow gardens sez a former child archaeologist. No heart when it was whole—new—but scratched in over time, yes?
Yes. Must’ve been a boy.
If only if only…(K)
🙂
Wow, this is powerful. How you extend the metaphor and in multiple directions, like a web. And as always, I love the beauty of your language, how you construct sentences, and how they flow.
The Museum also thanks you. (And here is a note from me, I closed the site, but moved all the Museum parts to my Confused blog, https://claudiamcgilladvice.wordpress.com/ — I did not want to lose them or forget about the Museum. Off on its own, I was forgetting. It has taken time but I think I am feeling like re-entering that silly-serious space. I hope soon. )
I was sad to see nothing happening on it. Thanks for the compliments Claudia. It’s a fun way to speak about not much at times and other times to speak about matters in a light-hearted way.
Thank you, I didn’t want to lose the Museum but so much has happened in the last few years and it seemed that as soon as one thing got settled the next arose and none of it lending itself to Museum work. I am crossing fingers that things have turned the corner. I did see a hair thingie the other day and I thought…hmmmm…
truly hope so Claudia!
I can’t decide which I like best – the photos or the words you have put with them. I have heard the hole in the ozone layer is beginning to close. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/nasa-study-first-direct-proof-of-ozone-hole-recovery-due-to-chemicals-ban
When I went looking for that article I saw pictures of the hole in the ozone layer that looked like your photos of the marble but I guess you knew that.
Great post – it made me think. There are so many holes around us these days.
No, I didn’t know that. Thanks for letting me know. With this kind of thing I sort of right off the cuff without research.
You were intuitively in tune then 🙂
write … i mean write off the cuff …
🙂
Beautiful, yes it is a broken and chipped marble, but the swirl inside is still beautiful. 😉
Thanks Susan!
I hope the rain has stopped, your way!
You kidding? Who wants the rain to stop? I wished it would carry on and on and never stop! The sun scares me stupid!
Mocambique, Zimbabwe want it to stop.
Oh, right! Although where I am is quite close to both countries we somehow missed the cyclone altogether for which I’m grateful. We just had normal, healthy rain. Not even much of a thunderstorm to speak of.
Really – oh good – I thought you might have caught the edge of it. The political weather has people obsessed here as the voters make a mockery of the political process…take care B
Here, it’s the politicians making a mockery of it! I SO want to believe in Ramaphosa but …
The world is quietly going nuts before my eyes this week. Now India has missiled a satellite in space and lichin has been found on mars and neurons can be replaced. Maybe Ramaphosa is different? Ha ha!
If one didn’t laugh …