Taper

A quiet wick, a slender thread,
Where wax and wick together tread,
It tapers—softly, gently drawn—
A flame that sighs before the dawn.

In candlelight the taper bends,
A silken sigh that night yet blends
With shadows stretching long and lean,
A whispered hush of amber sheen.

Beyond the flame, the word takes flight—
To thin, to lessen, to recede in light—
A dosage eased, a pace curtailed,
A taper’s grace where hopes have trailed.

So let us taper, slow and true,
Trim the excess, let colour hue
Fade to the calm we seek to find,
In measured steps, a steady mind.