A Candle Link

Bach in the background and a large candle burning on a low teak table. It's quiet in the house save for the sound of onions caramelizing on the stove. Later on I'll add them and cremini mushrooms and dill to the barley I cooked earlier in the afternoon. It's a new recipe.

The large candle shows its age: the sides slope outwards in a fluted shape, char marks on the inside add a patina. Until fourteen years ago I never owned a candle weighing so much nor so wide. My son gave us the candle and a sturdy base for a Christmas gift. At the time he lived in Colorado. Since then he's moved about—Thailand, New Zealand, Israel.

Most of the year the candle stays on a bookcase—unlit except for those times we lose our electricity. But when December appears on the calendar and the living room takes on airs— decorations, a poinsettia, and a small tree, the candle is set down within a circle of greenery and lit most evenings.


The candle— a reminder,a daisy chain...