We cherish

beauty—

the faultless line;

the layered fragrance;

the melded flavours

the fine,

smooth weave.

the pure colour;

Such beauty is ours if we want it,

offered for purchase by those who own the hands

that laboured it into being,

hands we will never touch, see, hold –

life transduced

to livelihood,

sold by the hour.

As we revel in the beauty

that surrounds us,

may we feel our

connection to the lives that

worked it

into being,

woven as they are

into its exquisite splendour— its subtle perfection—

and may we be humbled by their gift.

As those whose reach extends to the ends of the earth, we come to know ourselves.