i have kindled a candle

“It is better to light a candle than curse the
darkness.”―Eleanor Roosevelt

i have wearied the night
with my sitting-up,
and troubled the stars with my pain;
i have longed for the light,
so my bitter cup
may give me life’s sweetness again.

i have fluted your name
in my lonely bed,
and longed for your voice in my ear;
i have swallowed the blame
that has left me dead,
where silence has grown into fear.

i have gathered the slush
of my broken dreams,
whose carcase of lost hopes is weaned
by the reel of the rush
of unbroken screams,
but darkness is all i have gleaned.

i have kindled a candle
―my windowpane
shall vigil the late hours for you;
i believe i can handle
your love again,
and bid night’s dark fabric adieu.

© Copyright 2024 June 18
by Clyve A. Bowen♫