Candles burning in the storm,
flickering lights, no path do they form.
Sounds of thunder that echo the night,
shattering the silence, creating fright.
Candles that cannot shut out the cold,
with light that can only warm the soul.
Flames reaching up, struggling to burn bright,
yet tears of rain extinguish their light.
Winds of anger give the storm no calm,
a dreadful silence offers no healing balm.
Voices unheard, cries of anguish,
diminished by time, left to languish.
Now comes the time—it’s over and gone.
A flame is still burning, but not alone.
A new strength gained, a new spirit born;
Courage to go on, despite a heart torn.
The sages have written:
“Our soul is G‑d’s candle,
the spark of His fire is our mantle.”
In His Tabernacle, light shines about;
G‑d’s candle in us will never go out.
The voice in this poem sounds familiar. My husband, Mark, was first introduced to a Nell Zier by LaDelle Peabody of Teen Challenge in Tucson, Arizona. After doing some recording work in Nell's San Diego home, she and my husband became friends. Later, Nell and her husband, David, moved to Tucson and we all became friends. We lost touch when my husband took a job in Moscow, Russia. Might this be our old friend?