I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two small and trunkless legs of wax
On a candle. Nearby, on a waxy plain,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose scent
Of vanilla, amber, and ancient stones,
Is random, but better than ‘musty tomb.’
It bears facts about Percy Brysse Shelley,
And Ramesses II. Two for the price of one!
And in the shop listing these words appear:
‘I am Ozymandias, Candle of Candles
Look on my wicks, ye Mighty, and despair!’
And that’s it! An odd, scented candle.
A sonnet manifest in wax and tin.
A gift? Perhaps. Do you have bookish friends?
