Image
When the last autumn leaf falls off the tree, I know that December has arrived. A month that always brings with it the sighs of the past, those fond memories that wander like beloved ghosts.
I light the solitary candle then, allowing its dancing flame to summon buried memories. The walls fade away and suddenly I am transported back to those heady days of romance, when your laughter intertwined with mine in a warm embrace.
I see your eyes reflected in the melted wax, those stars that once lit my path. I still perceive the sweet scent of your hair permeating every corner, reliving the endless nights when we loved each other without reserve.
The candle flickers and for an instant I could swear you are here, sitting in front of me with that smile that was my home. Our children run through the dancing shadows, filling the room with crystalline laughter that echoes in my chest.
But then the flame is fanned by a gust of icy wind and the vision crumbles. A furtive tear rolls down my cheek as I realize that, once again, they were only ephemeral flashes of the past resurrected by the whims of the flame.
Still, I cling to these stolen moments, for they are all I have left of that remote December when we were happy. And as the candle burns down to the last drop of wax, I will continue to dream of having you by my side once more, if only for this night of burning memories.