23/08/2024
A Lament for the Kerosene Lamp
Once, you were the heart of a humble home,
A beacon of warmth in the dark unknown,
With your glass chimney, slender and tall,
You cast gentle light on the cold stone wall.
Your wick, a simple thread of cotton or h**p,
Soaked in kerosene, your life’s blood spent.
Steady and sure, you burned with grace,
A flickering flame in a quiet place.
With a turn of a k**b, your light would rise,
Or dim to a glow, soft as lullabies.
In your glass belly, the kerosene swirled,
A fuel that fed your radiant world.
The years rolled on, and progress came,
Electric light stole your flame.
Silent wires now weave through the night,
Banishing darkness with sterile light.
Yet, I remember the nights you stood,
On the worn wooden table, in a home of wood.
Your light was a dance, a story, a song,
In your warm embrace, we all belonged.
Now, you gather dust on a forgotten shelf,
A relic of days before time itself.
But in your flame, there was a truth,
A warmth, a life, a whisper of youth.
For all the wires and neon gleam,
Can’t replace the comfort of your dream.
You were more than light, more than heat,
You were a heart, strong and sweet.
As time evolved and left you behind,
I feel the loss of a simpler time.
When the world was smaller, and nights were long,
And you, dear lamp, sang your soft song.
