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Before I was 12, I knew something was up, the lamp I grew up with was very dim, but not in a good way, the kind of dim that makes some people wanna throw it away for no reason. It still works no?
I was 12 when the lamp flickered
Every couple seconds, it flickered
I noticed the light changed every time
Red, then yellow, then purple
Then suddenly,
at the brightness of like the sun
It like started changing colors super fast
It basically blinded me
It was like a skittles commercial all up in my face
I panicked and grabbed a lampshade
I slammed it over the lamp,
praying it would stop
I hit it a couple times frantically
finally it went back to flickering just white light
I left the lampshade on it and went to bed
The lamp didn’t light up for another 3 years
It tried to shine through the lampshade
It was kicked relentlessly,
it didn’t shatter
After, it flickered feebly
What is a lamp if it can’t give sight
What is a lamp with the lampshade,
is it to subdue the light?
Is it to hide the blinding fight?
Does it impede on eyes?
What light is so bright that it’s not right
Does the color change the perception
Or does a man’s plight create hostility
Am I myself if I leave the ingredients on the shelf?
Are you a person if you eat the same instructions of another person?
Am I myself if I hide a gun in a haven?
Are you a person if you seek the same truth as another?
Am I myself if I abandon a quest from birth?
If a light shatters, will it not be replaced?
Do lamps mourn their glass brethren?
Isn’t a lampshade just a veil from reality?
Does it matter if I just hang up my lamp?
It doesn’t shine like it used to
I’ll just throw it away
I’ll have another lamp right next to my head,
while the sudden burst of the orchestra hits the high note
and screeches to halt
3 whole years that lamp has been
With the lampshade hidden within
I’ve tried to shove it in a bin,
but it shone brighter ever since
I dared not remove the lampshade,
in fear it’ll blind again
But what if I let it be
To let it shine freely
Not to touch its consistency
But I’m scared indefinitely
I’ve come to accept the light
But I dare not show others how bright
Except for a single soul
A single light.
A single promise.
Hoping one day to remove the shade,
‘Till no one can see
But I’m too scared to peek
So bear with me. I still have that lamp with the lampshade. I don’t hit it anymore though. I just leave it be, but I sometimes scramble to hide it. It flashes like it used to, though the white light‘s been gone some time ago.