1.
Before
the candles drip down
and are gone.
2.
Before
the message of hope
disappears
into the curling smoke of those candles.
3.
Before
the frying pans return to the cabinets.
4.
Before
the oil of miracles becomes
the oil of everyday cooking.
5.
Before
the greetings of "Happy Chanukah" fade
into simple hellos and goodbyes.
6.
Before
miracles turn to the mundane.
7.
Before
Ma'oz Tzur stops playing in your head.
8.
Before
your menorah returns to the cupboard
Savor what was
and the potential of what can be.
Remember the potential of light and hope
and the power of lighting those lights.
one small candle
multiplies exponentially
creating power
a light like no other
the light that hope brings.
Let it live within you
long after this day ends.
Photograph courtesy of Fran Pechenick