VIGIL
a dusky silhouette approached
up and out from a twist of dust
with a twirl,
thrust her clasped hands forth
a candelabrum rose as they opened up
into my hands, it went
perched atop?
a tiny black candlestick
a budding flame sputtered to existence
she leaned in, whispered:
"keep this, and i'll tell you my secrets..."
deep pitch colored to match
the kiss of death upon her lips
paralytic, incapable of resistance
enveloped in shadowy folds of flowing fabric
turned departed hurriedly into the distance
this is not a test.
this is not a drill.
this is definitely a test; yes,
this time, it's for real.
but your little black candle
truly needs no tending
mile-wide f5 twister
barely interests her
orbital strike
couldn't quite disturb her sleep at night
post-apocalyptic wasteland after the doomsday,
what should i say?
still a flickering flame.
untamed,
known to play with danger.
dabbles in arcane arts:
no stranger to disaster.
favors a scarred heart
taciturn; habitually burned
tempted to think the worst
uniquely succinct; torridly terse
could end an existence
within a few words
lemonade, straight -- unsugared.
never distasteful,
keeps sweetness obscured
secretive, in reserve
ready to explode at moments notice
not bitter, but
viciously virulent
vexatious in each and every movement
perilously imprudent
dismissively indifferent
known to make her stand against prevailing headwinds
to take patience for a spin
proclaim pain essential
"The greater the suffering, the better the lesson!"
tempestuous in mood,
highly aloof,
painted with wounds from battlegrounds you've been to
charmingly elusive,
yet stubbornly obtuse
"Just ask for the recipe!"
effervescent, commingling
then,
within a split second,
switching
pensive, curtly defensive
demure; unamused
on the fence: spurned
still, this little candle burns
but no one noticed
hardly a head was turned
dangling precipitously from this precipice
is it worth it?
yes, and i accept that death may come of this
hopelessly devoted to this dark little votive
are my motives pure?
i defer,
but they could certainly be worse.
perhaps a dirty arsonist
leaving only trailing embers
i wanted to stop you,
but i'm so glad we got to go
down to the inferno together.
conspire in wildfire,
bend crackling timbers
to burning will
sacrifice ourselves to angry gods
just to see if it was real.
"Ashes to ashes, come what may!"
our hearts were merely mortal:
never meant to question,
lest they perish as they wait.
but guess just what remains?
beneath a heap of smoldering trouble
my devilishly flickering
tender little flame
its hopes redoubled
does a daydream dare escape
the endless turns and hallways
of the human mind to somehow
find its way outside and come to life?
it did, and torched the cobwebbed passages
with this relentlessly raging little candlewick
keen prospector
an eye for hidden treasure
sifted through most known forms of human debris
haystack-needler
knew how badly he'd needed her
"Not just anyone!"
would never settle for less than
am i too imperfect for this?
narrow eyes and a sly smirk, the tell
waited too long
not long enough
wait, is this where i get off?
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