The Ember in the Ash

The world went grey, a slow and creeping fade,
Like colors leached from some old photograph.
Each sunrise felt a brand new masquerade,
A hollow echo on a downward path.
The laughter died, a strangled, fading sound,
Replaced by silence, heavy, thick, and deep.
I walked the days on consecrated ground,
A living ghost, forbidden now to weep.

The house stood empty, stripped of all its grace,
A shell, a monument to what was lost.
Each room a mirror to my haunted face,
A battlefield where happiness was crossed.
I wandered through the wreckage of my years,
And choked on dust, and swallowed bitter tears.

But in the hearth, amidst the cold, black ash,
A tiny ember flickered, barely there.
A stubborn spark defying death's harsh lash,
A whisper soft, a silent, hopeful prayer.
It wasn't much, a fragile, fleeting gleam,
Against the darkness, vast and all-consuming.
But in that moment, I could almost dream,
Of warmth returning, life again resuming.

I knelt before it, trembling, heart ablaze,
And blew upon the ember, soft and low.
A fragile flame began to dance and craze,
A tentative, uncertain, growing glow.
It fed on memory, on love's remains,
And whispered promises through winter rains.

It told of strength I didn't know I owned,
Of resilience buried deep inside my soul.
Of seeds of hope that silently are sown,
Beyond the reach of grief's relentless toll.
It spoke of beauty rising from the dust,
A phoenix born of ashes, bathed in trust.

And though the shadows linger, long and deep,
And memories still sting with aching pain,
I tend the flame, the promises to keep,
And know that joy will bloom again, again.
This tiny ember, fragile, yet so strong,
A testament that even grief can't wrong.

For in the darkest night, the smallest light,
Can pierce the gloom and guide us through the fear.
And show us strength we didn't know we might,
Possess, and whisper, "Hope is always here."
So let the embers glow, and let them burn,
A lesson learned, a future we must earn.

The ash may settle, covering all we see,
But underneath, the fire still remains.
A promise whispered just to you and me,
That even after sorrow, joy sustains.
And in that ember, flickering and bright,
We find the courage to embrace the light.