flames

I put a candle on my cake

and watched my new age

burn clean, flames that

swallow oxygen to protest

what has become of me

a rapid orange, licking

the air in an attempt to

show me where my soul

will end up if I'm not careful

burning down, the wax

a powerful testament

to what is melting

me from the inside out

a darkness remains,

reminding us

of when we laughed

into pastry that eventually

melts away after so many flames