I read a lot of poetry, some of it extremely good, and some of it just kind of good. None of it is bad, because poetry is like the beauty of one’s lover, in that the beauty will not be seen by all who gaze upon her or him. Poetry—all poetry—is beautiful to someone.
Most poetry, it seems to me, is about love in one way or another; the gaining of it, the experiencing it, and sadly the losing of it. The latter could be compared to country music, I suppose, but then if you change a few words here and there, every poem is a country song just waiting to be sung.
I believe I’m rambling… does it seem like I’m rambling? Why… yes… yes it does.
Enjoy the poem!
A Thousand Candles
Love is like a room full of candles
Each flame plays a special part 
When love burns bright and warm
Within two lovers’ hearts
The room is lit so brightly
Flames of love dancing with joy
Lovers smile and laugh like children
On Christmas with a brand new toy
But in this room of a thousand candles
Winds of time can kill the flames
Shadows of doubt cool the fires
Things will never be the same
The wind may be a word spoken in haste
Or something merely taken wrong
The shadow could come from the past
Flames will die if it lingers long
And so they watch as flames flicker and die
And the light in the room grows dim 
They struggle to re-light the candles
But they just go out again
One lover alone now in a room dark and cold
Frigid wind blows across aching heart
Wondering when love lost its fire
She sits alone and weeps in the dark
Copyright © 2011 C. Mashburn
Posted in Promising Poets Parking Lot’s Thursday Poets’ Rally Week 58
Buy "Be Still" from WestbowPress.com
Marbles In My Pocket ~ The Official Blog of Charles L. Mashburn ~ Poems, Short Stories, and random thoughts from the author of "Be Still... and know that I am God" 
thingy said
Whoa. Sad piece.
charlesmashburn said
Yep, pretty sad one. Life is sad sometimes.
Thanks for the visit and comment, thingy!
Sherry Mashburn said
Nope. Our candles burn with an eternal flame.
charlesmashburn said
Okay, that’s not the ones we put in the fireplace, right.
I tried to upload some pics of the candles into that post, but couldn’t make it happen! I’m computer and candle challenged, I reckon!
Love you!
Voyages Vistas Vino said
I see hope. The fire within can never be doused.
charlesmashburn said
I agree! Thank you for the visit and comments!
Elyas Mulu Kiros said
Hey Charles!! 🙂
I have nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award.
Please follow the link for more info:
http://kweschn.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/versatile-bloggers/ 🙂
Congrats!
charlesmashburn said
Thank you, Elyas! I apreciate it very much!
Life: Between the lines said
it begins, blazing and someone’s left alone, often, well said!
happy rally!!! 🙂
http://lynnaima.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/nobody/
charlesmashburn said
Thank you vvery much, Lynn!
@nk! said
Emotional one
charlesmashburn said
Yes it is! Thank you for the visit and comment!
ManicDdaily said
Very sad. Hard to rekindle love. Lovely intro. K.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you for the visit and comment, Chris!
neha said
This is beautiful and so sad. I love the way you compared wind to those spoken words that ultimately is responsible for a love to die between two souls,
charlesmashburn said
Thank you very much for the lovely comment, Neha!
leah J. Lynn said
You hear country music, I hear zydeco music and lyrics. It’s amazing how creative works out. I’am interested in your work no matter the inspiration.
charlesmashburn said
Exactly my point! Thaks for the visit and comment!
becca givens said
Winds of time can kill the flames
Shadows of doubt cool the fires
Ahhh, so true … sad, but nevertheless, nicely written!!
charlesmashburn said
Thank you, Becca! I appreciate your kind comments!
jeannette said
a great post on lost love….thanks for sharing…
charlesmashburn said
Thank you, Jeannette, for reading and commenting on my poem!
Hema said
Sad…May the candles thrw some light on her.
Nice poem.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you very much for the comment, Hema!
Liliana Negoi said
sometimes we have to remember to put some wood on the fire and to not keep the window open for too long 🙂
wonderful poem Charles! and the ending is very emotional!
charlesmashburn said
Yes, Lilly! We must keep the fires burning every day!
Thank you for the visit and comments!
maitreyeechowdhury said
Nice 🙂
charlesmashburn said
Thank you!
poetryroad said
But in this room of a thousand candles
Winds of time can kill the flames
Shadows of doubt cool the fires
Things will never be the same
Love the sad truth of this stanza in particular. Relationships are tough and they need constant attention or the fire will dim and extinguish! Great write this week. Happy Holidays my friend!
charlesmashburn said
Thank you! Yes, we must keep the fires burning.
Merry Christmas!
bajanpoet said
Didn’t expect that ending… I like it ….
hit me in the gut … reminds me of my last poem “Heartache”
*shaking off lingering sadness*
Emotional piece. I love it 😀
charlesmashburn said
Thank you for the visit and thought-filled comment. Very much appreciated!
halfwaybetweenthegutter said
I feel this one.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you for the visit and comment!
dsnake1 said
i like the rhyme in this work, very lovely. 🙂
the words may be a bit sad, but sometimes, that’s life. I like the part about :”The wind may be a word spoken in haste”. so very true.
charlesmashburn said
Yes, there is sadness in life. Thank you for the nice comments!
Bupinder Singh said
nice poem, so sad but true if misunderstandings linger on.
http://bupinder21.wordpress.com/2011/12/12/puppets/
charlesmashburn said
Yes, I believe the key to any relationship is honesty and communication.
Thank you for the comments!
Morning said
smart metaphor.
Thanks for talking about your ideas of good and okay poetry.
true, hard to give concrete criterion, we offer encouragements in general.
lovely entry.
charlesmashburn said
Encouragement is what y blog is all about, so you’ll get nothing but that from me!
Thanks for the visit and comments, Morning!
shoelessboywonder said
Tender piece with a bitter sting. Well done. A very enjoyable read.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you very much for the visit and comment!
Jared A Muscat said
dig the vividness and rhythm…two of my favorite poetic elements.
thanks for your comments on my works
charlesmashburn said
You’re welcome, Jared! Thank you for the visit and comment!
mairmusic said
a plaintive lament, nicely penned.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you very much!
Andy said
Hello.
This is painfully sad & a bitter reality for some, but I believe love is never-ending. It has a way of creeping up on us when we least expect it or even when we think there’s no hope of it.
Beautifully expressed Charles.
Thanks for sharing & visiting. Your lovely comment is very much appreciated too.
For ref:
Firebrand Of The Heart
charlesmashburn said
Thank you for the nice comments, Andy. Your visits are always appreciated!
Papo said
i loved the flow, and the ending lines:
“Frigid wind blows across aching heart
Wondering when love lost its fire
She sits alone and weeps in the dark”
hits…
charlesmashburn said
Thank you for the comment, Papo! I hope you enjoy my blog!
Kellie Elmore said
Poetry is in the eye of the beholder 🙂 indeed! and this is beautiful poetry, Charles. I love your reflection and your perception of things. ♥ Your title drew me in and already I was anticipating something soft like candlelight and you surprised me with this! So many true statements of love here. and then your last line, wow. it just hit home, especially for me. You have such a way… 🙂
P.S….I did not know you had a facebook page! I liked it 🙂 maybe you will like mine too? 🙂
http://magicinthebackyard.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/on-the-dock-where-summer-lied/
charlesmashburn said
Thank you for the great comments, Kellie! You get the “made-my-day” button for today!
As for my FB page, I do not advertise it on my blog, because FB is where I let off steam in the political arena, and I try to keep my blog separated from that side of things. The blog is centered around encouraging my fellow man/woman, and I seldom mention politics on it. I am a staunch conservative–probably rare in the writing world–and when I discuss it, I take no prisoners and make no apologies. So, depending on your point of view, you might not appreciate some of my FB comments and postings. If thaat is the case, I do hope it will not affect our relationship in the writing world.
Kellie Elmore said
oh yea, i forgot to tell you, tomorrow FWF has a link system in place! I just hope it works! lol! Thanks Charles 🙂
charlesmashburn said
Awesome! I hope it works, and I hope more people will join in!
tinkwelborn said
Love (like Laughter) is contagious.
and contagion, eventually dies (like Love and Laughter)….what a shame….but true.
great metaphor here.
good job.
charlesmashburn said
So true, Tink. I often contemplate that falling in love is merely a man-made saying, whereas being in love is something a person must purpose to do. I contend we have to want to love, and we have to want to be good at it. Of course, without going into in depth, I also believe it to be a very spiritual thing, as well.
Thanks for the great comments!
Chevrefeuille said
Flames of Love … WOW! Wonderful done. Love to read this kind of poems in this time of the year. A real Christmas thought.
Happy Rally!
charlesmashburn said
Thank you very much! I appreciate your comments!
Kick Out The Jams said
A beautifully melancholic poem, perfect for a winter’s evening in front of the fire.
charlesmashburn said
Yes, hopefully with someone you love!
Thanks for the visit and comment!
ticklyturtle said
I consider this poem the beginning of the story and my poem the continuation. Well written. Keep it up.
T3.
charlesmashburn said
You have a valid consideration, T3!
Thanks for the visit and comment! I hope you enjoy my blog!
Kay Salady said
Marvelous and melancholy, Charles. xoXox
charlesmashburn said
Thank you, Kay! I appreciate the comment!
Jyoti Mishra said
Enjoyed ” A thousand Candles ”
So much u said in just few bunch of lines… n thatz the power of poetry !!
charlesmashburn said
Thank you, Jyoti! Yes, words hold much power!
Adrian Giannini said
scribed in the flickering of a heartbeat
charlesmashburn said
Nice, Adrian! Thanks for the visit and comment!
Zoe said
This really surprised me – the contrast between the warmth and hope, gradually extinguished until the weeping at the end. I hope that she fans that flickering flame. Beautiful write, Charles – I enjoyed it.
charlesmashburn said
This happens all too often to couples–even friends–when the excitement wears off, and they settle into their “comfortzone”. You have to want to love, and you have to want to be good at it! That’s my story, and I’m stickin to it!
Thanks for the wonderful comment, Zoe!
johnewordslinger said
Love this write, wriiten really well, felt completely, Bravo… Thank you, and much appreciated… WS
charlesmashburn said
Thank you very much, John! Your wonderful comments are much appreciated!
johnewordslinger said
BTW, I featured this on Poetry Trains, wall on facebook…
charlesmashburn said
Awesome! I really appreciate that, John!
Bees Wax candles said
I found your poetry about candles and life to be inspiring. Somehow I found it sad but delightful.
charlesmashburn said
This comment went to my spam folder, and while it does appear to be an advertisement for candles, the comment appears to be genuine. I’m going to post it.
But to the candle company I pose a question: Would you like to post my poem on your site?
CC Champagne said
As always lovely reading your words (though I have been away for a while). Today you made me cry though… *sigh* Dark December and lonely hearts, candles that flicker and die all too easily… Ah, well… Just have to pull myself up by the bootstraps! Thank you, as always, for your beautiful words! You are amazing!
charlesmashburn said
Okay, you get the first “made-my-day” button for today, CC! What wonderful comments! You bless me!
magher1 said
‘Things will never be the same’… Made me reflect on my past relationships with different people. I enjoyed the comparison. Nice poem!
charlesmashburn said
Thank you very much for the visit and nice comment! Very much appreciated!
Jo Bryant said
A great emotional poem on love – something that is universal to us all
charlesmashburn said
Thank you for the comment, Jo. I appreciate it!
Heaven said
This is a sad and poignant write…. doubts can kill love, true, but patience and forgiveness can re-ignite it again…that’s me being optimistic ~
charlesmashburn said
Optimism is good!
Thanks for the visit and comment, Heaven!
danroberson said
I can picture a stadium with lights burning,
Then comes a sad remembrance,
And all the lights go out, like love yearning,
On cue thousands of candles are lit,
And the dark turns bright as day,
That’s like love, never quite put away,
It burns, Charles, waiting to flame again,
Love waits like a thousand candles,
Searching for the right moment to begin.
Even though I loved your poem I couldn’t resist being optimistic. I have been in that room when the candles went out several times. Love does not wrap itself tightly around all lovers. I want to believe that most love candles can’t be put out, like some I’ve seen on birthday cakes.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you very much, Dan! I’ve seen you respond to other poems with verse, and I am always amazed at the quality of your off-the-cuff writes! This one is really good, too! And I agree, optimism should be always there when it comes to love. This poem was actually penned (quite clumsily) about 17 years ago. This is a completely re-written version of it. I have loved and lost–most times, mostly my own fault–but I learned a lot in the process. Mostly I learned that we have to keep the candles burning because we want love to be successful. It’s not an emotion that comes and goes, it’s a choice we make and it will only be as good as we make it. Jeesh! There I go rambling on! Gettin down off my soap box now!
Thanks so much, Dan for the awesome comments!
Catie Eliza said
Well I was going to write something like what Dan wrote but not nearly so elegantly, and something like what you concluded here but again, you’ve both said it all. It’s really interesting to read things written from another season in life… I think forgiveness is integral to keeping the flames lit, I know of quite a few stories where the flames appeared dead, and then something changed (or Jesus intervened) and then they were rekindled. :] Haha, well anyway thanks for the thought provoking poem :] xx
charlesmashburn said
I know of stories from both sides of this spectrum. I’ve personally seen it happen both ways in fact.
Glad you were provoked by this one! Ha! See ya again, I hope!
Catie Eliza said
not easy or simple is it? :] xx
charlesmashburn said
Are you messin with me?? You know I like it simple!
I think it is simple, too, as long as we keep our focus on God and let Him help us to stay on the path. When us humans try to run things, that’s when it gets complicated and messed up!
Catie Eliza said
Too right!! My life’s a lot simpler now that I cut my losses with a guy who didn’t really love me, if I’d listened harder to God it probably would have happened sooner, saved me a lot of heartache ;] Oops, got a bit too deep there! ;] Happy Sunday! :] xx
charlesmashburn said
Good! Simple is good, and the right guy will come along!
Happy Sunday to you, too!
Purvi said
The last stanza clutched my heart like anything.. 😦
I am readable at (and all about love ) ~ http://puplumages.wordpress.com/2011/12/17/con-ditions-apply-for-the-conman/
charlesmashburn said
I will take a look at your site. I think I’ve seen your poems on the picnics and rallys.
Thanks so much for the nice comment!
SiNA said
Charles! I love the whole analogy…it’s simply eloquent and beautiful! wow…isn’t love truly that way…well done 🙂
charlesmashburn said
Love can certainly be that way, Sina. That’s why I think we have to want it to be good, and we have to work at it to keep it burning strong.
Thanks for the wonderful comments!
Bodhirose said
Oh, this is so often the case. You did a superb job of capturing the sadness of love’s flame extinguished.
charlesmashburn said
I agree, this is TOO often the case! Thank you for the nice comments, Rose!
Renee said
Love and poetry do seem to go hand in hand and yours in splendid.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you very much, Renee!
Nel said
This is a fascinating piece, sir. This struck a chord –
But in this room of a thousand candles
Winds of time can kill the flames
Shadows of doubt cool the fires
Things will never be the same
charlesmashburn said
Those are my favorite lines from this one, too, Nel. I’m glad you enjoyed the poem, and I appreciate your wonderful comments! Thanks for stopping by my blog!
disjointedrhymings said
Can I just second everyone above? Beautifully written and sadly so true.
P.s. nothing wrong with the odd ramble 😉
charlesmashburn said
Yes you can just second everyone above! And I thank you for the great comment!
Me! Ramble? Well! I nevah!
Miss Kitten said
Lovely, Charles. A simple but effective analogy. My solution to the problem is to use those annoying little “magic” birthday candles that never go out no matter how many times one blows on them.
Don’t be afraid to use technology!
charlesmashburn said
Well,you know me, Miss Kitten; I’m all about simple!
Great idea! Technology; just keep re-booting!
Thanks for the great comments!
ladywhispers said
Such an emotional piece…loved it in a sad way….make you sigh…
And i agree to your starting para about poetry…so true in a way
charlesmashburn said
Yes, it is sad when love dies.
Thank you for the visit and nice comments!
Kate said
Sad but beautiful, wonderful read.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you, Kate. I appreciate the visit and comments!
rosie@mygardenhaven said
It is always something said in the heat of a quarrel that spoils a relationship, I agree, Charles…so, the best thing to do is just to storm out of a quarrel!? Hehheh.
Seriously, though, this is a poem calling for reflection on the reader’s part.
Rosie
charlesmashburn said
Well, you know what they say, Rosie; If you don’t have anything good to say… storm out of the room! Ha!
Yes, there is definitely reflection implied in this one.
Thanks for the visit and comment!
Tifiny Moon said
true, beautiful take on love.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you, Tifiny. Your visits and coments are very much appreciated!
Erick Flores said
What a nice simile to begin with. This poem was beautifully written!
-Erick Flores
charlesmashburn said
Thank You very much, Erick! I appreciate the visit and coment very much!
anjum wasim dar said
True feelings, weeping in the dark no one can see -yet life has hope.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you very much, Anjum!
robin said
Poetry—all poetry—is beautiful to someone. 😉
charlesmashburn said
Thanks for the wink!