Electric Christmas Candles
At some point there must have been one
too many housefires around Christmastime
maybe the tree went up in flames or maybe
they left a candle burning on the windowsill
then there were sirens seething through
the carols and ashes blowing over the snow
so someone invented the electric candle
marketing it as safer around children
safer around eggnog but they were made
to resemble real candles down to the flame
-shaped bulbs that curved as if upon a wick
in a draft while the candlesticks were made
to look as if they were made of actual wax
right down to the dripping drops so that
it was as if they were always burning
even in summer when they were shut
away in a drawer that smelled of pinesap
wrapped up in their cords and the little glass
bulbs like a memory of flames like flames
you could have sworn you blew out