Ode to a Candle Flame
Glittering in front of me,
orange, yellow, red,
sometimes a flicker of blue.
Dancing, beautiful,
lighting the way,
cutting through the dark.
Miniature suns,
gilded supernovas
floating above melted wax.
Yet, for all the shine, you bring
neither warmth nor do you
dispel the thickest of shadows.
Drafts blowing through the room
send you stuttering,
sputtering, flickering out.
Any attempts to caress your lithe form
drags sharp pointed knives
up and down the length of my arm.
Yet still, it seems,
you hold me caught,
fly in a spider's web
Your entrancing glow
ceaselessly captivates me,
despite your evident flaws,
And so, I think, that
just for now, or maybe for forever
I'll sit and watch you,
Your tiny blaze brings me pleasure.