Candles Along the Way

By Shrujan Mapari

Life is like a dark hallway
You have a lighter.
In your path, you come across various candles.
Small, big, thin, carved, scented, and coloured.
As you pass by them, you light each one of them.
The path behind you lightens up,
The path in front still in dark.
The candles beside you, halfly lit up.
You cannot tell what kind of candles you will find.
Everyone has different taste.
Some prefer small, others like scented, some like carved.
But yet you cannot be sure, that you will find what you are searching for.
You decide to pick up a candle that you loved dearly and carry it through your journey.
At first, it gave warmth.
But it starts to melt. The hot wax burns your skin and you are obligated to let it go and continue your journey without it.
Your journey seems to get longer.
All you find are candles that do not spark joy yet you have to light up.
This only lasts for a while as you are rewarded with a torch to light your way ahead.
Now you can see the little way ahead.
You pass by candles now, leaving them unlit.
The torch dims, its fire fading fast.
But in your pocket—does the lighter still last?