Grief

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I was never meant to be an eternal flame
That was not the reason for which I came

From fresh fire, to glowing embers, to ashes cold
Some fires were meant to die young, some to die old

I merely lit the way for you from time to time
When your way was darkest, that glow was mine

A gift to us from our Father, manifested in my brief fire light
For one small grateful moment, I was your welcome sight

Once you shivered, coldly judged by the world, guilty and ashamed
Counted as lost, until you saw your reflection in my gentle flame

There were lessons to be taught and lessons to be learned
Those were times when, by my flame, you were burned

Perhaps you mishandled me, or maybe I just burned too hot
The wound healed into scar, but I know you never forgot

Rightly or wrongly, I once smothered you with poisoned smoke
Choked you from an innocent slumber and into wisdom you awoke

So do not remember me falsely, as only a soft warm glow
Remember me truly, honorably, for I was both friend and foe

And do not esteem your part in my flame too lightly
For your breath was the oxygen that helped me burn brightly

Your tears, the fuel that sent sparks deep into that dark night sky
Now there is no need to look there and question God about why

For I came to bring some joy and I came to cause some pain
I came to earn the humble titles of being both human and humane

I was never meant to be an eternal flame
That was not the reason for which I came

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