I lit five candles
That’s all I had
I like to be close to small fires
It makes me reminisce about places I’ve never been
And think about those who are gone now
Gone against their will

I can look at a picture and make it about me
The silence in their faces
It leaves room for my imagination
I know what happened ten years later
But those silent faces only cared about today
They seem so sure about the moment
Comfort in the past is because you know how it ends

People put on their best side when a camera is near
It’s as if that is all that will be remembered
And not their fears and suffering
Or their mistakes
That’s why sometimes it seems those were the good old days
A mustered smile overcoming all that has happened
A knowing pensive wrinkle free shadow of youth
You can find so much to envy

We know where to find happiness
It’s always with a crowd
Communal
Mentally holding hands with our own kind
But what is our own kind?
The color of our skin?
The food we like to eat?
The places we like to visit?
The music we like to hear?

We fight against it so much
Is it so wrong to like certain things
It seems as if it is
Certain sounds
Certain faces
But that is what being free is about
Comfort in a field
Or on a mountain
Who is with you doesn’t really matter
Because who is there is like you anyway
Whatever their name

We know where to find happiness
It’s always being alone
With candles burning
Five candles
They burn not to hurt you
Only to find peace
To stare into a simple flame
And yet not understand its source
Is that not life itself?