day sixteen

Luminary
Walking through a forest
of lights in paper bags
lining the path toward home,
I felt the silence and peace
cast by the symbols of joy,
reflections of the full moon.
I wanted to dance, to walk
always with the lights
on either side of my feet.
And then the disillusionment
of the return journey,
where the feet after me
caused destruction, not light,
darkness, not the hope
of a steady tread through
the luminous line of trees,
snuffing out every candle
with a swift kick and a sudden stomp.