At the goblet’s base
are stable habits to help the soul
gather burdens together in one place,
perhaps, one day,
to be weighed, compounded
as a single trait—
endurance.
Along the slender stem
runs the stretching work,
the call to serve, care for others in a way
that doesn’t alienate, but
extends, expands
the place in the world we come to love.
On top, the bowl holds
the essence of prayer uplifted,
asking God in his glory
to fill us, heal our sliver of the world—
answer the perennial question,
“What is Church
and how might I
more fully
embrace
the
faith?”