5/10

A candle perched
on the corner
of his desk, throwing
light off the walls
and daring to approach
the shadows under
his eyes. Quivering
over the parchment,
his pen lands at last
to sketch another set
of bar lines and a minute's
worth of notes. The wax
drips down into a puddle
on the wood, fighting
for each flicker. A final
breeze sweeps away
the last moments and
he sighs, stretches his legs,
calls his wife's name and
asks her to fetch another
candle from the kitchen
cabinets.