Other vessels hold wine, other vessels hold oil

inside the hollowed-out vault circumscribed by their clay.

I, as smaller measure, and as the slimmest of all,

humbly hollow myself so that just a few tears can fill me.

Wine becomes richer, oil becomes clear, in its vessel.

What happens with tears?—They made me blind in my glass,

made me heavy and made my curve iridescent,

made me brittle, and left me empty at last.