Brief Candles

Beautiful yet dangerous,
Capable of both blessing and curse,
Flickering flames dance
In life’s capricious breezes,
Maintaining an ever more fragile grasp
On swiftly-burning wicks.
With ephemeral fingertips they reach
For the candle’s threadlike handle
And find only ashes,
Consumed by their efforts to hold on.
For a moment they float,
Their delicate bodies unattached,
Before the candle offers them
A new hope for survival.
But candles cannot last forever;
In time the wick is no more
And the flames flicker one last time,
Leaving only memories of glowing warmth
And night temporarily quelled.
Celebrate the flames while you may,
And carry their precious light with you always.