The Waiting Lamp

Image artist Kyle Wilson

She left the lamp out
On your windowsill
A nightly ritual
Hoping and praying
You would see its light

Shining steady and bright
A golden beacon for
Your missing presence
To find the way back home
To her unwavering love

She filled it every night
To keep it burning
Illuminating a fiery path
From her aching heart
To your searching soul

She sat staring out
Your bedroom window
Year after hellish year
Waiting with hope patiently
For your inevitable return

The vines slowly crawled up 
The neglected chipping walls
Religiously, she lit the lamp
Rusted and flickering
Unwavering in her trust

Death collected her
In the rocking chair
By your bedroom window
Still waiting and praying
For your safe return

Now she wanders the woods
A lonely haunting specter 
Searching relentlessly 
For the illusion of you
That never existed