No Man's Wife

I am no man’s wife,

the mother of no child.

I live as a single candle

burns, alone on the windowsill,

a pinprick of light

in a dark world.

Days melt away as hours

run down the second hand.

The room goes dim

as the wick grows short.

I am no man’s wife,

the mother of no child,

and I shall not be missed

when my flame fades to smoke.