One Candlepower Henry Matthew Ward We rode around tonight just looking at holiday lights. Some homes had literally thousands; some even had life sized Santa's, flood lights and huge Christmas trees, life sized nativity scenes. Decorations were truly impressive, exciting, attractive, expensive. Returning to home we detoured through another part of our town... with no Santa's or holiday lights, (even street lights were in short supply). Nothing was dared left outside. We made sure that the car doors were locked as we hurriedly rushed through this blight. Then we saw, on the darkest of streets, in the humblest of this sea of shanties, in a window...there glowed a faint light from a candle placed there for the night. And I thought of the poor widow's mite, Little Drummer Boy's rat-ta-tat, the acorn and the mustard seed. A great fire does not need a torch... a small candle will start it as well. A house fire? That's not what I mean. By Matt Ward (c)1995

Please Email Your Comments To: Henry Matthew Ward