Hast thou given thought of thy life ~
Hast thou molded it in the virtues of compassion
Or hast it been as the iron in the smithy’s
forge, heated and tempered in flame;
Or as the potter’s clay molded and baked in the oven?

Nay, your life should be none of these,
neither heated as iron, nor baked as clay.
Rather ye should shape it in the image of all things
Skillfully done to lend beauty in the eye of the beholder.

And as it is so molded in the virtue
and goodness of all things,
It should also be held aloft unto Heaven
Which casteth the Rays of Immortality.
So is thine image made strong, and endureth forever.

Excerpt from The Anthenium