The flames of many candles
Leap at my walls,
Tearing, laughing
At the shadows they cast,
Flashing threats of exposure
To all who in darkness confide.
My skin crawls
With the racing silence.
I watch a flame
Standing imprudently,
An impassive example to all who twitch
At the swirls of air that move them.
Still, tears of wax collect at the base Of
its excellent facade.
