Roberta Writes – W3 and Esther Chilton’s writing Challenge, Sunday Stills and CFFC

#CFFC, Esther Chilton's Word Prompt, photography, poetry, Sunday Stills, W3 2 Minutes

I am late this week with my W3 and Esther Chilton’s writing challenge combined contribution. This is partly due to the fact that my W3 poem did not meet all the stated requirements in the way requested. I bent the rules so I am publishing this with a reference to the W3 inspiration source but I’m not linking to the challenge.

You can view other poets contributions to W3 here: https://skepticskaddish.com/2026/08/19/w3-prompt-225-weave-written-weekly/

You can view other contributions to Esther Chilton’s writing challenge from last week, fire, here: https://estherchilton.co.uk/2026/08/19/word-prompts-4/

The Candle (freestyle poem)

The stubby candle stood

in a puddle of its own wax

For 92 years its flame had burned

Occasionally

during times of illness

it had burned low

but always

it had been steadfast

pulsing with the rhythm

of her life’s blood

During the good years

it had danced and leaped

during the bad years

it had twisted and bent

accommodating

the turbulent winds

But, it never went out

On and on it burned

sustained for the last fifteen years

by well intentioned doctors

who provided life sustaining drugs

Gazing into its glowing heart

it seemed to mock her

whispering her lossses

the traitorous husband

long returned to the earth

and the name of her home

her sanctuary

the place she’d holed up

to lick her wounds

and regain her sense of self worth

Now it was gone

sold, and the proceeds used

to sustain her unwanted life

in this place of the old and dying

Those same well intentioned doctors

whose drugs kept her heart beating

withheld the much needed pain relief

not wanting to further damage

her aged and declining body

as if it mattered at her age

She wished on them arthritis

and a long and painfilled old age

She could stop the medications

the end would come quicker

but the risks were high

The idea of an intact mind

inhabiting a completely broken body

lying in a bed in frail care

completely dependent on others

held her back

So she gazed with resentment

at that damned flame

wishing it extinguished

Sunday Stills and CFFC

Sunday Stills is all about mini beasts this week and CFFC is about things we watch. I watch mini-beasts so I put the two challenges together. You can join in here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2026/08/23/sunday-stills-animal-of-the-month-dog-and-butterfly/ and here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/08/24/where-what-when-we-watch-cffc/

A variety of bugs in the garden:

Two orange butterflies on purple flowers in the Drakensberg
Bee on a cosmos flower in our local park
Beetle on a garden plant
Stinkbug on a garden tap
Butterfly on the outside flagstones

Warning, spiders ahead!

Some sort of orb spider in the Drakensberg
The same orb spider from a different angle which results in different lighting
B&W picture of a golden orb spider in the bush
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Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

Published

70 thoughts on “Roberta Writes – W3 and Esther Chilton’s writing Challenge, Sunday Stills and CFFC”

  11. What a sad poem of a situation that has become common practice. I dread that scenario. I love your pics, always fun to get those spouder shots.

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  13. Mini-beasts! Great name for the tiny inhabitants of our world, Robbie! They all have a purpose, too. Great shots, I also like spiders. My name Webster in old English means weaver. 😁

    I loved your poem. My former mother-in-law was able to stay home in her last days, but my mother and my husband’s mother lived in nursing homes the last 5 years of their lives. They were well cared for but it’s expensive.

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  14. Robbie, the candle is a powerful metaphor for a life that has continued through so many changes!! Sometimes dancing, sometimes bending in the wind, but continuing to burn. This is certainly a very stark and difficult portrait of ageing, particularly when someone feels that choice and independence have been taken from them. It left me thinking about how profoundly different the experience of growing old can be for each person, and how important dignity, connection and a sense of meaning remain throughout our lives.

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  15. The end of life is full of contradictions–and medicine fails us in as many ways as it helps I think. The worst feeling is the loss of control.
    I love the pattern on that beetle’s back. (K)

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      1. I remember feeling helpless with my own aunt and uncle at their deteriorating health situations. All I could give, really, was a sympathetic ear. One of their sons finally moved them closer to him, though I’m not sure how much he helped out. But they did get to see their grandchildren.

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  20. You poem is incredibly powerful. Using the candle as the arc was perfect. Honestly, I think we take care of our sick and dying pets far better than we do our people.

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  21. A heartbreaking poem, written so well, Robbie. It’s incredibly sad how often the elderly are set aside and forgotten. Sadly, we fall short in how well we treat the most vulnerable among us. The insect world is quite intriguing. Great photos!

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  22. Hi Robbie, I liked the picture of the beetle, the big and the spider’s web. I can never tire of watching a spider make its web. It’s so beautiful.
    Your poem is beautifully poignant. Old age is painful for the person and the caregiver. People should be allowed to die with dignity rather than having to wait for it.

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    1. Hi Smitha, having watched friends and colleagues go through some terrible and protracted deaths with loved ones, I do agree. Sometimes keeping people alive is cruel. In this case though, she is actually fairly strong but she has a lot of pain from arthritis. She also hates the facility even though it is nice there with regards to comforts. To many people die so she’s scared to make friends.

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      1. I’ve already lived to be old, Robbie. I’ve had to accept that. But these little creatures are so hard working, and fascinating. I think if I had my time again, I’d become an entomologist.

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        1. It really depends on your health. After 85 it seems a lot of people start to decline. My aunt is 92 and my mom nearly 88. They were both great up until recently but have suffered a lot of illness recently. On the other hand. Hubby’s grandmother lived to 101 and she was pretty healthy right until she passed.

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  26. Your poem is a show-stopper. These lines hit me in the gut.

    Now it was gone

    sold, and the proceeds used

    to sustain her unwanted life.

    How sad beyond sad. No one wants to end life like that. We chatted about that today thinking about Dolly Parton. As we approach old age, the questions of life begin to have meaning. It’s no longer what happened to our parents, yet it is. This woman’s life was so sad, though. What made you consider this, Robbie? It is one of your most powerful to me.

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  27. I’m so sorry. I’ve read a couple of stories like that, too. Didn’t Geoff write one? Anyway, I am so sorry. May she hurry and find peace rather than torture. God bless her, Robbie.

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