"A Brass Bowl," by Wendell Berry

Worn to brightness, this
bowl opens outward
to the world, like
the marriage of a pair
we sometimes know.
Filled full, it holds
not greedily. Empty,
it fills with light
that is Heaven’s and
its own. It holds
forever for a while.

+ Wendell Berry

This deceptively simple poem creates one of the most beautiful pictures we’ve ever come across of a marriage, a friendship, or indeed any significant, loving relationship. And at the same time, the image also evokes the deep poetry in play in a church sanctuary at its best, or a sacrament, or a rose window, a song, or an unassuming act of mercy.

Each in its own way, these things, too, hold forever for a while.