But a man just might.
I did not set this table
to impress an empty room.
I arranged every light
to deseed a doubt.
You wonder
if a man may be thoughtful
without self interest,
without instruction.
The wax has already confessed.
The candles know first.
You flicker,
I soften.
You flicker,
I give way.
I give way.
You brighten.
The flame is not innocent,
nor what it melts,
yet the pair sweetens the air,
and argues with the dark.
Between the candles,
I placed flowers in the center
for you to doubt them,
then want them more.
Ask,
Did he grow them himself?
Did he agonize over each petal?
Why did he choose
the camellia over the rose?
No man ever unable
set a table like this.
May 6
May 6, 2026 at 2:55 AM UTC
But a man just might.
I did not set this table
to impress an empty room.
I arranged every light
to deseed a doubt.
You wonder
if a man may be thoughtful
without self interest,
without instruction.
The wax has already confessed.
The candles know first.
You flicker,
I soften.
You flicker,
I give way.
I give way.
You brighten.
The flame is not innocent,
nor what it melts,
yet the pair sweetens the air,
and argues with the dark.
Between the candles,
I placed flowers in the center
for you to doubt them,
then want them more.
Ask,
Did he grow them himself?
Did he agonize over each petal?
Why did he choose
the camellia over the rose?
No man ever unable
set a table like this.