Quiet Shattering

A porcelain cup on a porcelain saucer
Perched elegantly on an oak table
A boy humming a measure of “Hotaru Koi”
He stretches and yawns
Sweeping his arms out like a crane
Glancing the fragile cup
Gliding, it stops and teeters on the edge.

A cat stalks into the room
Prowling like a jungle animal
Its keen eyes spot the gleam of porcelain
It leaps and nips the saucer
That subtle touch sends both cup and saucer tumbling
The cup is moments away from impact
A blur of movement
The contents drops, spattering against the floor.

In the fingertips of the boy is a whole porcelain cup
It was only saved from the worst
A miniscule crack in the cup
You could hear the ringing tinkle
And you could feel the shattering of the silent world.

by Creighton Nakamura
7th grade, ‘Iolani School