FOR EVERY LOST SOUL - A CANDLE
For every lost soul, a candle
in the window spills its light
into dusky night. Darkening air
softens with hope’s holiday
aromas—sage, balsam, fir, spruce.
Its flame offers a mirror into a forest’s
beating heart, warming deep woods
where easy pathways have slipped
past sight, obscured by doubt, loss.
Its flickered patterns soothe us
as we glance inside into a world
beyond our reach. We want to see
our own reflections there, as if we
had struck the match, poured a glass
of claret, turned on seasonal carols,
smiled at loved ones gathered fireside.
Not the other side where time fells us.
Where its passage startles us anew
as memories sparkle, seduce us
for an instant before they waiver,
then devolve to our collective umbra.
NEW VERSE NEWS
DEC 1, 2022