I went inside
And asked Inspiration
Whether or not
It had a poem for me
Waiting, just to be written
Inspiration responded,
First, light a candle
So I did
And I became so distracted
By the lighter that wouldn’t light
That my mind forgot
To get involved
With the poem
Providing exactly
The window of opportunity needed
For Inspiration to slip through
Unimpeded
And write this poem
And my mind thought
Ahhh
There must be a metaphor
In there, somewhere
About the lighter not lighting
It’s one and only purpose in life
Not being able to actualize
And Inspiration said,
Shhh
You’re ruining the moment
Sometimes
It’s enough
To be
Your own light

(Maria Giuliani, 2025)