g o l d s m i t h ( a haibun )

Posted on by areadingwriter

Whenever I look back, I see the zigzag road of twists and turns, of ups and downs, my once proud heart has been through. I was a decorated student. My dad won’t walk with me in graduation ceremonies without a medal. His standard has been my fire. To excel. To be the best. To aim higher.

Whenever I look back, I realize those golden necklaces did nothing but bloat my ego and tire my soul. After college, they became more like a baggage than an honour. I was a Cum Laude (with honors) who can’t land a job for almost a year. A bright student who can’t pass her (many) final interviews.

Whenever I look back, I remember how His hands so holy carefully crack my pride and douse my smoke of arrogance. I remember the pain as my narcissistic temple crumble. I remember how with bowed neck, medals removed, feet blistered, heart surrendered, I learned His goodness and grace as I waited for Him to transform me into a humble, pure gem.

Calloused rock battered,
crushed, melted with brutal flame.
Gold birthed in waiting.

—
11.27.2018
©2018 Rosemawrites@A Reading Writer. All Rights Reserved.
Photo via Unsplash
For dVerse Haibun Monday: Waiting

Published by areadingwriter

I read because I write. | I write because I read.

70 thoughts on “g o l d s m i t h ( a haibun )”

  3. Powerful piece.cant decide if it’s all story, or if some is autobiographical. I’m sure a bit if both. Sometimes the best stories are. Wonderfully written. Succinct event though it’s a poem. That contrast is very interesting fora Haibun.

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      1. Good to know. I’m glad you liked the comment. Sometimes I read a piece and I just have to respond. Yours was very evocative that way. Thanks Rosema. Have a wonderful Wednesday 😉

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  4. your haiku was like fire on the soul Rosema, and like gold your soul is renewed from that fire. a very strong haibun that impresses on the mind the tough journey we go through in life.

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  5. Wow. That was a powerful read! I am reminded of how gold is purified when it is heated and the dross can then be skimmed off the top. It is the flame/heat that creates this purity.

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      1. Awwww, you’re so sweet. It’s great to read your blog again. Things are going wee. Very busy. Making a big move to Canada in March. Phew 😅
        Have a wonderful day sweetie
        😁💖

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  8. Standing ovation. This is just pure art. Art that bled the experience of a soul who decided to bare itself. I am stunned reading this. Three times. So brutally honest. So magical. As I read this yet one more time, I realize how both of our lives have been so so similar, growing up, in two different countries and cultures. Maybe that’s why, our paths crossed, and this humble gem that you have become, lent its shine to mine, deciding to become one with me. (Claps. Wipes tears of joy)

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    1. Uhhhhhhhhh. It is your turn to wet my eyes na. Perhaps it is why, my love. God has shaped us both and made us the better versions of ourselves before we met and become one. I am grateful for your existence. For your words. And I am most thankful to Him who gave you to me. (Kisses. Wipes tears of joy. )

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  10. Oh this is fantastic, Rosema. And quite relatable too. I think there are many of us who were great students and achieved all sorts of honors and awards in school, only to realize it was a lot harder to succeed in the real world. But it seems you found your way, my dear friend, because you are doing wonderfully! 🙂

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  11. A humble, pure gem….Thank you for the personal share. I had my share of humbling experiences too and I have survived to be a better, and more patient person. Love your haiku of: Gold birthed in waiting. Thank you for the lovely share.

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  12. I like the final phrase – birthed in waiting so much – because of course that’s how stone and mineral are formed- through long eons of slow pressure, which could be a definition of waiting, I suppose. Anyway an extremely apt haiku. Fit the prose perfectly.

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  15. Part of me think it’s a pity you have to learn the world this way… part of me believes that man would not have been forced to humble yourself… another part think it’s a lesson for life.

    I watched a playreading yesterday that made me think of your story…
    It’s called “What we’re up against”…

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    1. “What we’re up against” That’s a very good title and the depth of its story, i cannot fathom. i am humbled that you remembered this after reading this haibun. perhaps this life is composed of many wars we are destined to win and lose. 🙂

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  16. Beautiful …and i am in awe of your resilience..you have been humble too accepting your shortcomings…and yes, graduating Cum Laude is not even a guarantee of landing a decent paying job after college..that’s the problem in back home..we set academic standards so high that even top 10 board passer cannot also get a job…

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  17. I am late to get around reading the haibuns Rosema, but I really like the honesty in what you’ve written. They love us and mean well, but we eventually find our own path, sometimes not the one our parents saw for us….

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