Wedding cake

Winter Scene January 6 2010


A surprise – a fountain that’s been left to run

Despite the winter cold.

Its graceful, slender plume of water

Flows exuberantly up and cascades down –

As icicles preserve the water’s dance;

The ice has mounded up;

The tiered fountain now reminds me of

A tall and sparkling wedding cake –

The tiny accumulated crystals like

The layer upon layer of caring

That build a couple’s love

Moment by glistening moment --

Molecular uniting.



Reflection:

What builds love and makes relationship possible? It’s definitely an accumulation of layers that, like this iced over fountain, create something beautiful from the repeated opportunities to express love, kindness, understanding, and concern for the partner while also taking care of oneself. . I’d never thought before of wedding cakes as a symbol for relationship, but their complexity, each tier supporting the one above, does provide a metaphor for a relationship solidly built over time. Coming upon this surprising winter artifact made me think about the extravagant cake constructions that it resembled – glittering, white, complex, and many-layered.