Shadows

I wrote this poem during a moment when I felt surrounded, not necessarily by anything visible, but by weight. Responsibilities. Expectations. Emotions I don’t always show.

The candle in this poem isn’t grand or triumphant. It doesn’t banish the darkness entirely. It simply refuses to go out.

That was the imagery I was trying to capture, not victory, not conquest, but endurance. The quiet kind. The kind that doesn’t announce itself. The kind that just keeps burning, even when the air grows thin.

There’s something stoic in that image. Controlled. Deliberate.

Even when tired.

Even when surrounded.

Still standing.

Sometimes strength isn’t about shining brighter.

It’s about staying lit.