How I already know my American Lit class is going to be amazing: (we read this aloud today)

Meditation 8 (First Series)

John 6:51: 'I am the living bread.'

"I kenning through astronomy divine

The world's bright battlement, wherein I spy

A golden path my pencil cannot line

From that bright throne unto my threshold lie.

And while my puzzled thoughts about it pour,

I find the bread of life in't at my door.

When that this bird of paradise put in

This wicker cage (my corpse) to tweedle praise

Had pecked the fruit forbad, and so did fling

Away its food, and lost its golden days,

It fell into celestial famine sore,

And never could attain a morsel more.

Alas! Alas! Poor bird, what wilt thou do?

The creatures' field no food for souls e'er gave;

And if thou knock at angels' doors, they show

An empty barrel; they no soul bread have.

Alas! Poor bird, the world's white loaf is done,

And cannot yield thee here the smallest crumb.

In this sad state, God's tender bowels run

Out streams of grace; and He to end all strife

The purest wheat in heaven, His dear-dear Son,

Grinds and kneads up into this bread of life,

Which bread of life from heaven down came and stands

Dished on thy table up by angels' hands.

Did God mold up this bread in heaven, and bake,

Which from His table came, and to thine goeth?

Doth He bespeak thee thus, 'This soul bread take;

Come, eat thy fill of this, thy God's white loaf!

It's food too fine for angels, yet come, take

And eat thy fill. It's heaven's sugar cake.'

What grace is this knead in this loaf? This thing

Souls are but petty things it to admire.

Ye angels, help; this fill would to the brim

Heav'ns whelmed-down crystal meal bowl, yea and higher,

This bread of life dropped in my mouth doth cry:

'Eat, eat me, soul, and thou shalt never die.' "

---Edward Taylor, 1642-1729

If you read the whole thing...(which if you didn't, really, go back and read each word), my goodness.

Source.