A Brief Candle in the Wind

They do not speak of dying,

not in the quiet grocery line,

not beneath the flicker of café lights,

not when the sky loosens its robe of stars,

and oh, what a grave mistake.

 

For death is not some villain in a cloak,

but the oldest truth,

the shadow stitched to your soles,

the hush behind the heartbeat.

And if you dare to meet it,

not with dread, but with reverence,

you live.

 

Not someday.

Now.

 

With a fire that does not ask for permission,

you will step out of the anger rooms,

shed the shroud of “what will they think,”

and walk barefoot into your wild life,

untamed, imperfect, and exquisitely yours.

 

A child who has tasted death’s breath,

returns with eyes older than calendars,

not brave, but lucid.

Not reckless, but awake.

 

You see, it is not courage,

to sip the rain like wine,

to laugh so hard the stars come closer,

it is logic.

It is sense.

It is the compass of those who know the road ends,

so they sing while walking.

 

So love.

Not as a performance, but as a pulse.

 

Learn.

Not for praise, but for wonder.

 

Taste.

The peach, the kiss, the grief, the salt.

 

And leave behind no legacy but this:

 

That you were here.

Truly.

Madly.

Moment by moment, as a brief candle,

burning unapologetically in the wind.

Author's Notes/Comments: 

Copyright 2025 Savva Emanon ©

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S74rw4rd-13d's picture

Sunday evening going into

Sunday evening going into Monday morning has brought to my browsing eyes to of the finest poems I have ever read since I began reading Poetry in 1973; and this poem is one of tbose two.  The robe of stars . . . walking barefoot into a wild life . . . and laughing so hard the stars come nearer:  these three phrase are the triangled pillars on which ths poem rises into its verbal magnificence.  The only two failures are the title, and the final two lines---far too much like Elton's maudlin song and therefore the reader loses the greatness of the poem.  But this is so easily fixable, and the poem can begin and end on its inherent stellar greatness.


Starward-Led [in Chrismation, Januarius]

Savvart's picture

Thank you

So glad you enjoyed the poem. It was originally written in 1983, has been reworked, and here it is. I did originally take some inspiration from Candle in the Wind (very little) but nonetheless it is there. I shall ponder your thoughts. Much appreciation for the comments :)

S74rw4rd-13d's picture

Yes, I have enjoyed it very

Yes, I have enjoyed it very much.  I read it again, just now.  The power and truth of your phrases is very, very impressive.


Starward-Led [in Chrismation, Januarius]