The Candle

A brief note on the impotence of the dark.

All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.

— St. Francis of Assisi

Image by Anjo Antony on Unsplash.

Inspired by St. Francis of Assisi’s words, “The Candle,” an early poem of mine, is a reminder that though we are surrounded by stories of violence and of hate, there are truer stories to be told: narratives of goodness and of hope — light in a darkening world. I have found it encouraging to be reminded that, for all the outworking of evil we see — and for the rest that we don’t see — the darkness we are against is limited, and its power falters in the presence of even a single act of goodness and beauty.

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The Candle

The ancient bale bears elder name
that aye for naught shall break.
The olden shadow wears a hame
that it shall never shake.

For should all darkness round the world
throng and gather nigh,
One simple candle, flame unfurled,
would cause the dark to fly.