quote | the gift is balanced

nothing 
is given that is not
taken, and nothing taken
that was not first gift.
the gift is balanced by
its total loss, and yet,
and yet the light breaks in,
heaven seizing its moments
that are at once its own
and yours.
-wendell berry

quote | i dream of a quiet man

I dream of a quiet man
who explains nothing and defends
nothing, but only knows
where the rarest wildflowers
are blooming, and who goes,
and finds that he is smiling
not by his own will.
-Wendell Berry


Source: Sabbaths 1999:II in Dancing With Joy edited by Roger Housden