Author’s Note

Some connections strike with a force that makes us linger in the light, even when shadows have always been our refuge. This piece explores that fragile balance—the tension between caution and desire, between self-preservation and the magnetic pull of another soul. It is an ode to the quiet bravery of staying present, even when the heart risks everything for the chance to be near someone who ignites it.

To Be Near Your Flame
Poetry by Rowan Evans

This is all new to me—
this need to speak your name,
to feel your laugh
echoing through the quiet spaces
of my heart.

Usually, I retreat—
pull away,
hide in the shadows
until feelings
fade
like whispers lost to the wind.
But with you?

With you, I linger.
Even if the light burns,
even if it ends
with heartbreak’s echo,
I don’t want to run.
You make me feel alive—
when before, I was just a ghost,
moving through motions
without meaning.

You’re so easy to talk to,
a melody in human form,
and I would trade sleep for your voice,
give hours to the night
just to hear
the way you say my name—
a moth to your flame,
willing to burn
if it means I can stay near.

You are always in my thoughts,
painting every corner of my mind
with your smile,
your laugh,
the softness of your being.

And still—
if all I can do
is help you find happiness,
even if not beside me,
even if my arms stay empty
while you shine elsewhere—
I will do it.
For your smile is worth
every sacrifice,
every unspoken wish,
every late-night conversation
under distant skies.

Benediction

May the hearts who wander in shadow find courage to linger in the light.
May the flame of connection burn bright, steady, and unashamed.
And may love, in its quiet, unwavering form, teach us the art of devotion without demand,
The grace of presence without possession,
And the sacred truth that to be near another is sometimes the bravest act of all.