7 Candles
"Better to light a candle than curse the darkness”
A candle for the princess of the rubble,
Bomb by bomb her world ground into dust,
Curls thorn-crowned by centuries of trouble —
Dance, small flame, burn only what you must.
`
Extinguished hopes and dreams eaten by rust,
Forgotten and futile-begotten aims,
Gentle souls twisted by toxic trust —
Healing candle, cauterize the shame.
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In halls of power roll the endless games,
Jaded players riding on their might.
Kill or cast out, darkness falls the same —
Light the tallow and hallow the fight.
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Match to stubble, set the field alight!
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Now, a birthday candle for yourself.
Open present, blow away the past;
Pretty baubles, make room on your shelf.
Quickly, for the wick’s not meant to last.
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Resolve to take the votive you've been passed:
Shelter in the huddle of your hand?
Taper to the confines of your caste?
Upraise the fire, winds and rain be damned?
`
Vase of ashes scattered on white sand;
White lotus, incense, grapes, outpoured wine;
X the name from registry of land.
Your own white candle will be lit, in time.
`
Zed to alef, pass the chance to shine!
About the Creator
Sonia Heidi Unruh
I love: my husband and children; all who claim me as family or friend; the first bite of chocolate; the last blue before sunset; solving puzzles; stroking cats; finding myself by writing; losing myself in reading; the Creator who is love.
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When We Were Very Young
In another box set that my parents got me when I was younger contained four books by A.A. Milne. 'When We Were Very Young' is a collection of poems that Milne wrote for his son Christopher Robin. This is a book that is full of references to Mr. Edward Bear, but a lot of the poems give some various descriptions of life of a very young child and where, when, how and why they do what they do. The illustrations are quite cute for you can see what Christopher Robin is and may be thinking. Also, Pooh Bear does make his self-known at various points. I have read these verses many, many times over the years and each time make me feel good about myself.
By Mark Graham3 days ago in Critique
Comments (7)
X the name from registry of land.. that line really got me. Powerful prose
What a beautifully penned abecedarian poem. "burn only what you must" really resonated with me. Well done, Sonia!
A brilliant read, great submission to the Abecedarian challenge! Please check mine out if you get the chance ♥️
This makes me think of Princess Di, whose candle though extinguished continues to burn bright in the hearts of those whose lives she touched.
Beautifully crafted, Sonia! I read it out loud several times!
Very dramatically written. Well done. 
💔💔💔