Light
In the beginning, there was a lit Match,
looking to share a flame.
It found a candle in the pitch blackness
and shared it’s fire.
The world became illuminated.
From that one flame, the fire was passed on
to millions of candles, over thousands of years.
With each new group of flames,
the world became collectively brighter.
And a time came when there were so
many candles burning at once, it was impossible
to look anywhere and not see the glow.
Yet, after a few centuries, the flames grew stagnant.
They didn’t go out, but they didn’t grow,
never getting smaller, but not larger either.
Sometimes they flickered, yet even then,
they kept to themselves.
It was as if each candle existed alone.
They were together and yet, not.
Seemingly out of nowhere,
one of the flames began to grow.
This candle wasn’t any larger than
the others, but once it’s flame
started growing, it didn’t stop.
Miraculously, this candle was
adding to and nurturing it’s own flame.
It alone began to illuminate the world
more than all the other candles had
even been able, together.
And though the candle shared it’s flame with every
single other candle, it never dimmed.
It shone on, powerful and humble.
Once again, the other candles flickered
and the same candle continued to share.
It shone so brightly, it became Light.
Light lit everything up.
It showed other candles how to make the
world brighter and they always took
solace in Light.
If Light was strong and steady,
there was no doubt they could shine on.
One day, the Light went out.
The other candles didn’t know what to do without Light.
They knew none of them could independently
illuminate the world as Light had.
Should they go out, too? they wondered.
But then, they realized that would leave
the world in pitch blackness, again.
So they committed themselves to the memory of how Light had shone,
with kindness and acceptance
of itself, of the Match, and of all other candles.
They shone on.
However, now when one flame flickered,
many candles offered to share their fires.
They learned that sharing the flame
was how Light had grown so brilliant,
and discovered when they shone simultaneously,
the world was radiant.
