Fire and Light
by Maria Alexandria Beech
Here in this land
Two peoples shared
Air and water,
The candlemakers
And firelighters.
The candlemakers
Ruled for ages,
Sages in the art of art,
Of building towers,
Naming flowers,
Houses that didn't
Fall apart.
Legend has it
A candlemaker
And firelighter once
Fell in love.
And the firelighter,
In unflinching radiance
Gave the candlemaker
Her light.
The candlemaker,
Afraid of light,
Shared the fire
With those he loved.
When only a few
Owned candle and fire,
The firelighters fought
The candlemakers,
With the sole desire,
To win their lot.
With candles and fire
In hand,
The firelighters
Set across the land
To give everyone
A candle and fire,
A moment to see
What the candlemakers saw.
In awe, the firelighters
celebrated and elaborated
Plans to build towers
And name flowers,
And learn the art of making art,
And houses that didn't
Fall apart.
The land they loathed,
Had a new shine of its own.
No longer in darkness,
They suddenly saw,
All were the same,
Each had a name,
And dreamt of a home.
If they could learn,
If they were shown,
How to make candles.
Each would own a home.
But the candlemakers
Scared of sharing
The light,
Spent day and night
Making plans to
Take back their might.
When all the candles
Of the land were spent,
The firelighters sent
A chosen few to
The candlemakers,
To ask them for
Instructions on how to
Construct candles,
With wicker and wax.
The candlemakers laughed.
Too complicated they said.
Their darkened world
Had grown cold with hate.
They no longer desired
A fire or their home.
Even if the land
Lost its light
They would fight
Until the end,
Spend every coin
They possessed.
Obsessed and forlorn,
They went forth,
Wrapped in a flag,
Old and torn.
The firelighters,
Who had never ruled before,
Retreated.
They would not be defeated.
Blinded with rage,
Demanding restitution
For their destitution,
They burned every page
Of the constitution
in retribution for the
Burning inside.
Nowhere to hide,
Each side
Stayed in the dark,
And no one said a word.
Not a single sigh was heard.
With no light,
Neither side
Was seen again.
And then, someone said,
If there was wicker and wax,
to light the land,
I don't understand,
Why they disappeared.
You see, someone replied,
When two peoples have
Never worn each
Others' shoes,
They choose fear,
At least they did here,
By being scared of fire,
They plunged
Not only themselves,
But the entire world
Into darkness.
For those who lit the fire.
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