the lanterns glow

The Lantern’s Glow

In the gloaming, dim and shaded, where the path was long since faded,
I did wander, lost and jaded, through the woods that whispered low.
From the depths, a lantern beckoned, flickering with secrets reckoned,
As it danced, its light protected by the shadows' heavy flow—
“Come,” it called, with voice enchanting, “Follow where the lost souls go—
Follow where the lost souls go.”

Curiosity, now daring, drew me close, my heart ensnaring,
For the glow, with warmth declaring, promised solace from my woe.
Yet beneath that fragile glimmer, darkness swirled with presence dimmer,
And the air grew thick and shiver, where the pale winds dared not blow—
In that space of fleeting twilight, secrets whispered soft and low—
Secrets whispered soft and low.

“Step with care,” the lantern whispered, “For the light can turn to blister,
And the night, a cruel sister, waits to claim what you bestow.
Should you tread where shadows gather, heed the sound of laughter’s lather,
For the mirth that masks the blather hides the fate that none can know—
In this dance of light and darkness, tread with caution, or forgo—
Tread with caution, or forgo.”

But I lingered, heart entranced, by the glow that held me, chanced,
As the night, with shadows pranced, beckoned me to lose control.
And I followed, lost in yearning, through the mist, my spirit burning,
With the lantern ever turning, gui isding me toward the shoal—
Where the lost souls lay in waiting, seeking warmth to fill the hole—
Seeking warmth to fill the hole.

Yet the light began to shimmer, fading slow, and grew much dimmer,
As the woods, now dark and glimmered, closed around with whispers low.
With a gasp, I felt its sorrow, as the dawn began to borrow
All the dreams I dared to follow, snuffing out the lantern’s glow—
Leaving only shadows dancing, in the woods where lost souls flow—
In the woods where lost souls flow.