The light exchanged in this encounter: Raise a Lantern

[theohmu]

Title: Raise a Lantern
Author: theohmu / bread_and_tea 
Word Count/Drabble Type: drabble
Character(s)/Ship(s): Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian (implied)
Rating/Warnings: Gen, no warnings
Summary:
Author's Notes: I starting thinking about how "bearing" is often linked to a burden or weight, and also the play between light and heavy, the expectations we have for ourselves and that others have for us. This is set in the CQL timeline, when Lan Wangji is definitely already known as Hanguang-jun by the time he meets Wei Wuxian. 

~~~~

Light is not an easy burden to bear

It weighs heavily with each life he fails to save

(they call his name like a prayer in the dark; he cannot answer every time)

But his shoulders carry more than most

And the yoke of this duty is one he gladly assumes 

He takes with him the weight of expectations 

Each time he descends the mountain

Clothing him more surely than the robes he wears

He is a beacon, a flare, a single lantern in the night

And yet now the sky is full of lanterns, and he is not alone

Comments

[starandrea]

Wow! This is beautiful ♥.♥

[theohmu]

Thank you!

[hhimring]

I like this a lot!
It flows well and the ending is great.

[theohmu]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it.

[juniperphoenix]

This is beautiful.

[theohmu]

Thank you!☺️

[amedia]

I love how the lines of this poem say more than the literal words. For instance, the line (they call his name like a prayer in the dark; he cannot answer every time) clearly reflects Lan Wangji's sorrow over lives lost, but it also echoes how he can sometimes use the guqin to speak with spirits.

I also love the hopefulness of the final line!