Time to Cherish, Time to Share

Show me all the bounty of your giving:

Each cornucopia spills out in vain

As some of the sweet happiness of living

Sinks deep into a dry and dusty plain.

Of labor and of love there is no ending,

Nor can we ever pocket our reward.

Some tender that we're tempted into spending

Goes for gifts that others can't afford.

Remember that the Earth's a single sea,

Equable in what one takes and gives.

Each act redeems its value naturally,

Taking grace from everything that lives.

In giving there is rich and varied treasure,

Nor more nor less than taking's vivid pleasure,

Granting ample joy to those who care,

Subject to what pain they choose to share.

 

by Nicholas Gordon

Done