Beside my bed, a candle:
One that flickered but never went out,

It only trembled when I looked away,
stood tall beneath my gaze.
Or maybe it never shuddered

Maybe I mistook the flicker
for a windborn twitch.
How can I be sure?
I never saw.
I never knew.

The flame looked hesitant,
like silence between words-
a stack of letters
unopened, unsent.

Dust sifts through my fingers.
Cobwebs, like tangled thoughts.
The clock ticks, yet the arm is stuck.
Stillness grows louder.

I stand-
By the door.
Never enter,
Afraid.

What if the other side
is only a shadow
of what can’t be,
anymore?

How can I be sure?
I never knew.
I never will.
I never saw the flicker,