A Tongue Of Fire

I hauled a match stick out
From its metronomic slumber
And strike it against its house
It ignited, flickered and sputtered
Until a tongue of fire stabilizes
Descanting the lugubrious serenade
That dislimns the fix of planets
And to taste the sulfuric savor of life
It kissed the wick of a candle
It shared its sagacity
And snooped around him
And decided that it was
Too harsh to reside
In this ubiquitous darkness
He folded his flame,
Seethed for euthanasia
Then died away

Whilst the candle cradled
Its brand new glow with pride
Cautiously in a frail bassinet
But a wishful whisper blew
Into its very skeleton
Vulnerably naked and hapless
It shivered and cringed
The tongue of fire was gone
Devoured by an innocuous gesture
With all the unheeded wishes
Into the sepulchral fathoms
And the world shriveled
From its sanguine glow
The candle melted tears
From the incredulous life giving
But light is ephemeral
While darkness is eternal
And its life will
Never come back.

poem by Norman Santos
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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