Bead

A little help here, please. I just found this in my notes. I'd begun it a while back and left it. Obviously because I couldn't tell where it was going. Any suggestions are appreciated.

I don't know jack about HTML, so do me a favor. Read every odd line together and every even line together.


The nucleus of family is the whole,

The center of a bead is the hole,

the enveloping arms of love that offer support

a curious void created as the artisan

during the intense flames of maturing.

wraps molten glass around the mandrel.

Our parents patiently try to shape us

Each bead begins with a vision.

But they are still surprised by the twists

The materials are selected, the glass rods fired,

And turns their efforts take as this most

And the molten mass is slowly spun and shaped

Important of projects moves toward completion.

Until the bead of the imagination becomes real.

We are products of family. When we are born, we are welcomed by parents who have invested many days in patient preparation and waiting. They plan for us, they dream for us, and they invest years of their lives in shaping us to function within and contribute to society.

A bead maker works on a smaller scale, so the units of time are accordingly compacted. Imagination and glass are combined to form the seed of a new creation. With fire, steel, and careful attention, a patient shaping begins. But the process is not so different from parenting.

In both endeavors, watchfulness prevails. Constant attention is lavished to effect a positive outcome. Pressure is applied where needed. But the variables are not entirely within our control. Artists and parents are simply the tools used by a higher creator.