The Lantern Keeper

In a village stitched between mountains and mist,

She walked with a lantern no one could resist.

Not for warmth, nor for guidance of the night,

But to awaken the dreams hidden out of sight.

Her footsteps hummed through cobblestones and streams,

Chasing the edges of forgotten dreams.

Children peeked from windows, eyes wide as moons,

Elders whispered of magic that hummed in her tunes.

The lantern glowed with colors unseen,

Flickering softly with hopes in between.

Every flame a memory, every spark a song,

A bridge to the places where hearts belong.

Travelers came from valleys far and wide,

Drawn by the lantern, by what it implied.

It wasn’t fire, it wasn’t heat,

It was courage, and the power to rise after defeat.

She carried the world, but never with weight,

Lighting the path, unraveling fate.

And in her glow, the weary found rest,

A gentle reminder: we all carry light in our chest.