Candle

Lit at first light,
It blazes with hope
And gives us a bright
Path to follow; not a slope.
Giving us light in the dark
Flickering, but never going out
When we most need it; protection in the park
From villains, armed and stout.
And I see this light among
A million million others blazing,
Of which only some have been sung,
The songs that they bring to the amazing
World and its people.
Though to be seen, it's like fighting in treacle.

And the candle continues to burn
We realise that it's beginning to wane,
The hard truth that we must all learn
Is that we have to forget pain.
Hard to forget though; it's inevitable
When the wax melts away,
Leaving the candle unsociable,
We don't prompt it to stay
Much of the time, but we know in our hearts
Once the candle was fervent, bright
But not anymore; as unpredictable as a game of darts.
Now blown out, the light.
But though the light is extinguished and gone
The formidable candle still lives on.