LOVE! 

The Candle, the Flower, and the Butterfly

By: John Kazerooni 

Once upon a time, in a quiet corner of the universe untouched by sorrow, three kindred spirits lived in luminous harmony — a candle, a flower, and a butterfly. Bound by an invisible thread of love and joy, their friendship was so profound that to imagine one without the other was like imagining the moon without its light, or the wind without its song.

The butterfly was the heart of their trio — vibrant, restless, full of grace. She fluttered endlessly between the glow of the candle and the fragrance of the flower, never staying still, never missing a moment to sip from the sweetness of their company. Each encounter was a gift: the candle offered her wisdom and warmth, and the flower, a freshness that whispered of life’s gentle pleasures.

The candle stood as their beacon — glowing softly, casting light not only into the world around them but into their very souls. Her flame was a quiet teacher, a source of reflection and comfort. The flower, in turn, was the breath of spring — ever blooming, ever fragrant, wrapping their gathering in a perfume of peace that made leaving unthinkable.

Their love was generous. It grew not by taking, but by giving — and in that giving, they became inseparable.

But life, as we know too well, is not always gentle with the tender-hearted. Its storms do not send warnings, and its sorrows often arrive disguised as ordinary days.

One such day, while the butterfly danced as she always did — kissing the petals of the flower and drawing close to the candle’s flame — fate intervened. Drawn too near by the warmth of her beloved friend, the butterfly’s delicate wings caught fire. In a moment that stretched into eternity, she fell — not in anger, not in regret, but in love. Even as the flames consumed her, she sang her devotion to the candle and the flower. Her final flight was not away from them, but toward them.

The candle, stricken with grief, could not bear the loss. Her light flickered violently, not from wind but from sorrow. And then, in a burst of despair, she let herself burn away, faster than nature intended. Darkness fell, sudden and absolute.

The flower, once the symbol of joy and renewal, was left in silence. Without the flutter of wings or the soft light of her companion, her petals drooped. The weight of loss was too great. Her roots no longer clung to the earth. She, too, let go.

And so, in that quiet corner of the universe, only silence remained — a silence that echoes still, in every heart that has known deep love and deeper loss.

For this is what we see in life. Friendships so pure they defy logic. Losses so deep they defy words. And love — that burns, blossoms, and soars — even when it cannot stay.

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Medium Readers

https://medium.com/@iselfschooling/alarming-shift-ed6b66c556ef?sk=dfa1ee4412dd8bcc414e01baf9808120