A woman’s beauty is like
a candle

that burns steady and bright in a
woman’s youth

and begins to burn out as she grows
older

until, sadly, it eventually flickers
one last time …

and goes out forever

but I wish it could last forever
and didn’t fade like flowers

maybe it blossoms again in the afterlife
maybe women are beautiful there forever

regardless of whether or not they
were beautiful on earth.

Bob Boyd