of candle and smoke and you

i held a flame that shimmered through the night,

its gentle glow revealed your tender face;

yet every spark was shadow’s slow delight,

a fleeting warmth the darkness would erase.

your laughter lingered like a silver thread,

it stitched the air with hope, then tore apart;

a melody both cherished and long dead,

that lit the chambers of a doubting heart.

but in that hush where memory takes root,

the dark is softened by the dream it bears;

what once was loss now blossoms into fruit,

a bittersweet that every soul must share.

so love survives, both radiant and obscure,

a candle’s glow, a smoke we still endure.