“The thousand nights blown out like candle flames

But blown out by whose lips she doesn’t say,

Self-lit, perhaps, and self-extinguishing,

And stored wherever unlit flames are kept”

Bedtime Mahabharata by Gjertrud Schnackenberg

I recently read Heavenly Questions, a collection of poems by American poet Gjertrud Schnackenberg. I sourced the book through the online library service which we’re very lucky to have here in Ireland.

Utilising other creative disciplines for inspiration is nothing new, in fact as an exercise, it’s invaluable. Have you ever used the creative works of others as inspiration?

I was particularly drawn to the image Gjertrud conjures up of a place in her poem, Bedtime Mahabharata, ‘wherever unlit flames are kept’.

It made me think, rather than extinguished and gone forever, what if flames were eternal?

What if a flame was kept somewhere when not in use?

Flames are divine and hugely symbolic, think of the Olympic flame, JFK Eternal Flame, even the simple practice of lighting a candle for someone. Many religions link flames to inner light; the soul. So to treat a flame as precious is a wonderful source of inspiration.

As I type this I am in as much self isolation as I can possibly be with my family unit. No visitors, no going out, only for essientials and with copious hand washing on my return.

The media, social and otherwise, delivers Covid-19 figures and advice on a continual drip feed. They have to; this is serious.

So I think I’ll light a flame today

For the health workers

For my son in the army

For the people who will come together.

I’ll also light a candle

For the frightened in the darkness

Swaddled in their own denial

In the hope they’ll see the light

Because together is the only way we’ll get through this.