Ballad of the Lantern and Flame
In secret grove where shadows creep,
Where winds forget and lanterns swing,
A teahouse rotted slow in sleep,
And whispered tales of everything.
She danced within its crumbling walls,
A geisha born of grace and fire.
She turned from vows and duty’s calls,
And danced to burn the old desire.
Her sleeves like smoke, her eyes unshod,
She twirled beneath the paper beams.
No gods to watch, no priest, no god
Just falling dust and orphaned dreams.
But sparks will chase what does not flee,
And fire climbed fast through ancient wood.
Still she danced, rebelliously,
Unbending, wild, misunderstood.
A samurai with quiet tread
Had followed through the forest bare.
Not to return her, but instead
To find her safe, if she’d still care.
He found her as the lanterns broke,
Her form aglow, her breath grown thin.
The teahouse writhed in fire and smoke
And still, she would not let him in.
But he stepped through the falling flame,
No scorn or pride within his eye.
He called her not by duty’s name,
But simply said, “We cannot die.”
He bore her through the burning ash,
Beyond the reach of ruin’s breath.
She fought him once, but not the flash
Of knowing he had spared her death.
They wandered where the prayer flags moaned,
The wind shrine torn by time and gust.
He spoke no vow, she cast no stone
But something in her learned to trust.
In silence by a blossom tree,
They lit a lantern, watched it rise.
It floated slow and breathlessly
Into the soft and wounded skies.
They crossed a bridge of ghost and song,
Where koi beneath them glimmered pale.
The temple welcomed all who’d wronged
But only those who’d learned to fail.
And when at last the mists withdrew,
The village waited, old and kind.
The roofs were bowed, the gates askew
But home is not what’s left behind.
He turned to leave, his duty done,
The sword now quiet at his side.
But she stepped forward with no run
No shout, no tear, no need to hide.
“I thought I fled to find my way,”
She whispered low, her fingers bare.
“But love,” she said, “does not obey
It waits to find who’ll truly care.”
They climbed the hill above the land,
A final lantern in their hold.
No vow was sworn, no ring, no band
Just silent hands, and sky, and gold.
It rose into the night like breath,
Released with calm and tender grace.
No need to race, no fear of death
Just light, and time, and love’s true face.
