BY CANDLE LIGHT
(the moth song)

The Table, Set for Two
Exquisite China, Silverware
Crystal Glass a-shimmer
In a Golden hue;
The blue lit Candle
On a chordate hold
Stands sentinel

‘Its got to end’
She coughs away a sob
‘For far too long
I bore the pain
And lived your life.
My Hopes Bend,
My Dreams
Like fallen ice lie shattered,
My Pride lost
To insistent Sacrifice..’

Up above..
On the old ceiling
A rugged moth
Driven by rain and cold
Watches eyes unblinking
At promise of warmth;
The candle flame
Lightly sways-
A danseuse tip-toe
In a low pool
Of molten glaze

'In a twinkle
Years fly
And we get nowhere,
Marooned like ghostly galleons
On tide less shore.
Our purposes
No longer common
Our desire
Without bond
We are now each a stranger
Stranded in an acre of ruin -
Its Over !’
His thin lips tremor..

Enchanted
The moth observes
The flame’s slow dance
Her hips
Sensuous, pulsating
To the rhythm of the breeze;
All aglow, she teases
Wooing him
With splendid luminescence

'I am sorry
Its better this way
We will look back one day
And be glad
For we will still have
Our memories beloved’
She reminisces..
Where they first met
Their first date
First kiss..

In a spur
Of irrepressible desire
The enamored moth
Yearning close encounter
Flies to circle the flame.
Their eyes meet,
A legion of wordless thoughts
Wing and blaze;
For a brief instant
Time stands still
And he realizes
Purpose..
With a passion of vehemence
Selfless Wings
Embrace flare;
For a divine moment
They become One
In a final combust
Of searing iridescence

The Couple see
The altruist moth fall
At candle feet.
Her finger gently reaches
To soothe singed wings,
On dying torso.
She sighs
Then breaks down..
Her loud sobs tear into him
And they rush to hug
Kissing away tears
Seeking forgotten solace
In an embrace
To remain
One.

(The ebbing flame
Briefly sparkles
Then flickers
To die
In the blue candle
On a chordate hold)