Bottle

As pure beams of morning infiltrate your window
the cut-glass bottle   high on the ledge   cannot be hid
It catches light   dazzles   reflects   refracts
but cannot hold it    Placed under a bushel
dark emptiness is immediate & complete
I know whoever’s not against us is for us
& whoever’s not with us is against us
Light glints off the glass in different ways
I know he blessed the peacemakers
yet came   to bring a sword   taught
love your enemies   yet hate
father   mother   wife   children
It’s like trying to bottle a sunbeam

Some subtleties splash from the rim
& splatter the ceiling
its substance overflows the brim
& puddles the floor
Even what clearly brightens the interior
beautifully makes its escape
diffused through the glass brightly

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D.S. Martin