The Candle

A simple poem with a bit of a dark tone.

The flames licked the walls with light
Beating back the dread of night.
Creaks of wood went up the stairs
As the darkness shrank into despair.
A hand so tender held the fire
The candelabrum went up the spire.
A breath of drink escaped her lips
Shuddering the candle stick,
Her eyes were wide, her pupils alert
Denying the entry of disconcert.

His words echoed inside her mind
The promises of what was mine
He gave her wealth, I gave her love
And still he knew it was not enough
So in his greed he struck a deal
My life or hers, one he’d steal.
And on that night eight days ago
We hatched a plan he’d never know.

And so she ascended the flight of stairs
Breathing steadily the winter air.
The candle held her only warmth
Her love, her hate, her very form.
And with its flame she held the choice
That by tonight, she’d end his voice.
When she reached his room, she’d crack the door
Carefully, and nothing more
With every snore, and not before
She’d slowly open more the door

Now of this man, you needn’t learn
His age, his name, will not concern
All you must know of the man ahead
Is that surely and soon, he will be dead.
And when that candle flame goes out
You will not hear the slightest shout.
A gasp of air, perhaps at best
As the monster inside is laid to rest.

She stood by him with knife in hand
And I by her, a hollow man
She looked through me and saw her fate
The end of him, though all too late.
His life, for her, was not to take
So instead her neck would be the bait.

Crimson ran from throat to chest
We both knew this was for the best.
For me salvation was not a choice
For her, my life was her only rejoice.
And as we stood there, hand in hand
We looked at the body, what we had planned.
His voice cut short, his life destroyed
All for the lives he sent to the void.
When he wakes up, he’ll be in chains
Never to see the light again.
And as the candle lost its light,
Came creeping in the dread of night.

Author's Note

I know it may be a bit rough on the rhyming, but I wanted to try something a little different from what I usually write.