Elizabeth Hasan – The Candle
The candle has an ambition-
the orange flame. A wick will burn.
A wax will melt.
In 6th grade science class
they taught us the irreversibility
of chemical reactions.
e.g. Wax combusts to sustain light.
I am tangled in threads
from MOTHER'S tailoring class.
I practice taxidermy on HER face.
The sewing needle
very sharp-
it pricks my fingertips.
A bit of melted wax
resurrects to shape
and my nails scratch them off the dirty work table.
Time must be preserved
in a jar,
on a high bookshelf
next to candles.
Elizabeth Hasan is a student of B.A (Hons) English Lit at the University of Calcutta, in Kolkata, India. She has been published in Delhi Slam Poetry, Verses of Silence, Moiramor Magazine, Mysticeti Magazine, The Livewire and the Setu Magazine. Her work has also appeared in a print anthology ,'The Mist' (2021). Currently she is serving as an editor for the inaugural issue of her departmental magazine. If not creatively or academically engaged, she can be found reading odd essays and watching weird films. You can reach her at @susmusdoraemon on Twitter.
Artwork: Pentangle by Helen Gwyn Jones
Helen Gwyn Jones (she/her) started recording her world at the age of 8 when she bought a Brownie camera from her sister, something which has become a lifelong passion. A collector of the past (hers and other people’s) she likes nothing better than muted images of imperfection. May be found poring over Welsh grammar books when not photographing drains or going into raptures over rust. Recent publications include Hungry Ghost Project, Free Flash Fiction, Acropolis Journal, Paddler Press, Blink-Ink, Hecate, Pareidolia, Moss Puppy, The Levatio, Camas, Subliminal, Terse Instagram / Twitter: @helengwynjones Facebook: Helen Gwyn Jones Photographic Artist