Candle Poem by Don Pearson

(For those in the cold darkness)

It was cold and
I had been out there
for a long time
in that emptiness.

One last candle remained.
After some searching,
with numbed fingers,
I found a single match
in the depths of a pocket
I struck it and
sheltered it from the wind.

The candle dazzled me
in the darkness but
did not throw enough light
to reveal anything
in the vast space.

I warmed my hands
one final time
and stared into the flame.

When I awoke,
there was left
no more than
a smoking wick.

26th March 2010