The Candles
Some birthdays don't feel like celebrations - they feel like reminders of who isn't there.
You said Happy Birthday
like it fixed everything -
like the years you weren't there
could be wrapped up
in a single sentence.
I smiled anyway,
because that's what children do
when they learn
love doesn't stay,
it just visits.
And later -
someone else said it too,
the one I thought would stay.
Their voice soft,
their absence louder.
Funny how they both
found the same exits.
The candles burned down
to nothing
and for a second,
I almost believed
either of you meant to stay.
About the Creator
E.S.Flint
I’m an Indigenous storyteller using poetry and short fiction to explore identity, love, loss and all the spaces we return to.
What I can't say, I write. Because feeling it all is the point.
Follow me on IG: es.flint
Center Stage with Gina C.
*** I'm keen to republish the interviews I did for my series with Vocal creators. It's been a few years and I thought it might be nice to revisit these wonderful conversations. I'll be releasing them one at a time for a few weeks/months.
By Heather Hubler6 days ago in Interview
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