The Memory of Clay

A lesson from pottery 101

Tirelessly to the class she repeats:

Clay has memory. Clay has memory. Clay has memory.

Each time she says it the words strike me anew not just as a student shaping a pot

but as a human being reflecting upon her own life and the lives of many others.

How children are exactly like a smooth-skinned piece of clay and how every time someone

pushes or prods them, swipes or slaps a lifetime memory is made. How every thoughtless finger grip

leaves its mark, however faint, on a child and how too much pressure may weaken and distort their still-evolving lives.

Yes, clay has memory but a dampened sponge may easily eliminate mistakes.

What can erase the lingering imprints or wipe away a child’s unmerited tears spilled along a lifetime of bewildered years?