THIS: message in a bottle to Jimmie Durham

I find a small piece of sea glass with the word THIS imprinted upon its surface. The message in the broken bottle impresses itself upon my imagination. Finds me and then gets my attention. Let’s just say. I know such a talisman is not just a piece of glass. Some people call sea glass mermaid tears, lucky tears, sea gems or beach glass among other things. Sea glass is an instance where the interaction between the detritus of human rubbish with the surrounds makes something of strange value. The glistening amber surface refracted in the shallow rock pool caught my gaze. A closer inspection of the shard revealed the cryptic message in what once was a bottle. The classic ‘message in a bottle’ needs to be broken to reveal the contents. However, this message in a bottle appears as the sole remains of an already broken vessel become touchstone.