They say we cannot pour
from an empty cup,
yet these are foisted on us endlessly,
armfuls from external sources
crafted from expectations
for every role.

More emptiness than any one person
could possibly carry,
accompanied by distractions
to keep us questing,
searching for where
so many cups can be filled.

Frantic outward focus,
juggling others’ wants and needs,
ever on the brink of failure,
forgetting we have
a deep, flowing spring within
that must be tended.

Only when we leave the accumulated,
vessels discarded at our feet
and plunge headlong into our own
sacred depths, can we return
with true nourishment to share
from cupped, brimming hands.