These lights
These lights within
We kindle
We dig deep and reach inside
And light them up with a spark
We find that little piece of us that doesn’t want to be a jerk
And we go for a walk in the park, or to play with a puppy
Or to watch a sunset, ignore consumerist calls of “Yuppie!”
We’ve been delivered.
We’ve been saved.
It’s a miracle, innit?
These lights
These sparks
These candles
These oil and wick and flame little packages of love
That we fuel and fire and cultivate and inspire
With our love and compassion and desire
To do better, to reach higher
Higher and higher
It’s a deliverance
It’s a relief
It’s a wonder
It’s a miracle, really
It’s a neverending battle but a victory
that’s been won
That’s been done for us as has been done many times before
It’s happened to every human as far back as ancient lore
Our fathers, our mothers, our great great grandsisterbrotherfathermothers
In those days, the days that are, the days that were and the days that will be
The days that happened once and happen over and over, now included
The days that are yet to come, sealed in the future, projected, not excluded
In those days, in these days
All the days together
Happening over and over
No matter the weather
Through the priests and the priestesses
The warriors of light
Executors of all that is good
Carriers of might
The person standing to your left or right
Who helps you see the good inside
The priest is you, the priest could be me
But the holy workers who help us see
What’s good lives within, and all it takes is to just
Be
Throughout the days of Chanukah
The darkest days of night
The whole miserable winter
These eight candles bring us light
The sanctity of within
It keeps flickering outside
And for our entire natural existence
plus one, the One that doesn’t Hide
the lights are holy
they’re sanct with the sweat
of the struggle and the fight
to shine what’s bright
in every respect
they’re not to use
to leverage or choose
to utilize
to optimize
to keep them handily creative
there’s no cost benefit factor
they’re purely decorative
a light, to shine, to illuminate heart and mind
to see, to gaze, to stare into the souls
of the lights
and see what you’ll find
only
to thank
to acknowledge
to express
to speak with gratitude of the miracle
the God-given Nes
the fact that even in the times
that are darkest of night
there’s always that little fuel reserve
the tiny jar of oil
that gives us God-given light
so when you know you’re not exactly
the person you want to be
when your soul is kinda struggling
because it’s getting foggy
and hard to see
find the lights, light them up
remember there’s one inside you too
it’s so holy, seriously
atheist, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Jew
whatever we are, we all possess divine light
and when we light them up on Chanukah
we get a little respite
from that constant digging, that need to elevate
to scrape away the dark and dust
and with a candle, illuminate
but on these holy days we have no
no need to light a candle
or borrow a propane lamp or even
build a fire that’s lots to handle
on Chanukah we reach within
we find the holy lights
we light them up and watch them last
for eight dark days and nights
we use the fuel that lasts all week
to propel us through the year
and with these holy lights we can
bring joy to all those dear
we remember the soul that was once within
the one who’s always free of sin
who wants to laugh and love and pray
and play in the park and paint pictures all day
who knows that money’s not the trick
or working all day, or making ads click
and find ways to engage it, before the day’s done
and unite with the fire within, facing the sun
it’s not the kind of light you use
to make things fancy and bright
sometimes we have dark crevices
and they’re not so pretty in the daylight
find the corner, find the nook, shine your own little candle within
it came from dark, it knows how to spark
no matter what the sin
sometimes its real dark, you can’t find a match
but little did you know, your soul came with a catch
it’s got deep inside the spark of flint or coal
that’ll never go out, it’s a standard feature of soul
so when you do little things, start to shift and turn
it’ll catch on real tight and flicker til it burns
so we praise and we thank
and we acknowledge the truth
that miracles can happen, we’re all living proof
when we state out loud that the light’s there within
it catches and sparks and ignites and then
whoosh
the light’s up and at it
the entire world
is feeling ecstatic
the solstice is over, the healing’s begun
and in this brightly lit world
covered in love, filled with fun
the darkness is lessened
the blackness is gone
and even the dark corners
are singing the song
so shine on, candlesticks
matches, tapers, wicks
flintstones, coals, Bic lighters
battery powered coiled vaporizers
find a torch, find a light, find anything in sight
and shine on, shine on,
glow glow glow
because when there’s light you always
know which direction to go.
