Seeing the Extraordinary

When we truly look at all we see in this wide world around us
It should fill us with amazement.
We see things from the surface and they become ordinary
Because they are commonplace.
If by chance we look in depth at something simple as a cup
We experience man's inventiveness.
The one I see before my eyes is crafted porcelain,
Glazed white within and black without,
With an etched emblem on the side that faces me
When I grasp it by the handle.
I see the glaze and know it coats a rougher substance
From which it is shaped.
The separation of the colors is such that I wonder
How they made the line so perfect.
The figure on the outside is etched through the black
Into the grainy texture of the core.
It keeps my coffee hot for just long enough to enjoy
A moment of relaxation as I drink.
It was crafted by men who learned the art of making it
From labors built over many generations.
It was designed for a company which sells coffee at
A price far above their competition;
I know because their stamp of copyright is placed
Clearly on the bottom in four languages.
Someone spent a good deal of time designing the logo
Which is etched upon the cup.
That logo was then programmed into a machine designed
To etch it into the surface.
The glazes used upon the cup were mixed by a chemist
So they melted at a temperature
Below that which would destroy the matrix of the cup
Itself upon which they were applied.
After the cup was cooled it was packaged and shipped
To the various outlets of the coffee company
Which then made them available for sale to their
Highly devoted customers (of which I am not one.)
This single, simple cup was designed, manufactured, transported
And sold through a complex process
Involving many people scattered across the continent
To end up in my hand.
To me, that is truly extraordinary.
Just imagine the mind that designed the minds which
Are capable of such things....