I search the cellar
this late winter afternoon,
looking for candles, flashlights,
batteries and lanterns.
Successful, I come upstairs
to a darkening day though
white, almost two
feet of you.
Yard and driveway are plowed,
doorways shoveled,
and the wood stove gives its heat.
There is no light at 5 pm,
save for my little candle.
CMP gives no information of
when the power will return—
they are as much in the dark
as I am, maybe more.
The Christophers say
it is better to light just one
little candle than to curse
the darkness of the night.
I pray with them and do
as they say.
Thomas Lequin is a Catholic priest who lives in Maine. He is also a farmer, hunter, fisherman, Maine Master Guide and writer. Some of his stories and poems have appeared in Chiron Review, Plough, the Anglican Theological Review, Presenceand other journals and anthologies.