Saturday, July 25, 2015

turn around and go back

we always had to turn around
after driving a few miles from her
house because she thought she left
a candle burning.
she had a candle in every room,
even the bathrooms,
all lit, sitting on saucers
her mother gave her.
it was more for ambiance and that
vanilla smell that she was going for
and less about saving on electricity.
holidays and birthdays were easy.
you bought her candles all the time.
fat ones with scents like cinnamon
and lilac. long skinny ones, red,
and fancy. they smelled like
Christmas.
you can't remember one time when
she actually did leave a candle
on though, but you'd head back
just the same, before she even
mentioned it and just say the word.
candles. she wasn't trying to torture
you, from what you remember,
but it felt that way at times.

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