(Photo by Marina Shemesh, https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=328642&picture=single-candle-in-dark-background)
What do you do
when the candlelight
begins to dim?
The candle that’s been there for you
ever since you were a child,
scaring away the night
and all that lurked there
in order to bring you
the slightest ounce of comfort?
The one that shined light
on countless ugly scenes
but hoped to one day see
everything in a brighter,
more beautiful light,
where everything made sense?
The one that stayed lit,
even in a power outage,
shining brightly
as it patiently waited
for the power to return,
and encouraged its brothers and sisters
to shine once more?
The one that was awake
while the day was asleep,
and whose tiny flame brought warmth
when the world grew dark,
the air grew cold,
and the walls were thin?
The one that found light in everything,
even when there was no light to be found?
What would you do?
Because that light...
That everlasting, perpetual, never-ending light…
It’s fading.
No one ever thought it would
because that light tried so hard
to hide every flicker,
every little moment,
where its light faltered.
It’s running out of things
worth shining its light on.
Countless people rely on its light,
but who can it rely on in return?
The flame melts away the wax.
It’s eating it alive.
The wick is charred and falling apart.
It turns to flaming cinders.
You hear the candle crackle.
The smoke snuffed out its screams.
The candle stays lit anyways.
…
I can’t do this much longer.
A little bit about this piece
I wrote this poem in my junior year of high school. I'm often considered an optimist, and I was used to being looked to for support, advice, and generally good vibes. But it got to the point where people would panic if I wasn't being the optimist, so I had to put up a façade for awhile. Lucky for me, I'm in a much better state of mind now and can better accept when I'm feeling something other than happy. Make sure to regularly check in on your optimist friends!
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