Stay A Spell

The alcove is cold to touch

The heat escaped – eons ago

Ashes lay encrusted and solid

Immoveable and heavy in the grate

The long time cooled embers

Grey and dark – blackened with soot

Rekindle the fire that once burned bright

That once resided in this hearth

Fan the flames until they dance

Spark and crackle and spit

Restock the fuel – make it catch light

Allow the heat to defrost the room

Take a seat in the red and golden

High-backed chair beside the fire

Fabric worn thread –bare hessian

Curled wooden armrests – Scratched and raw

Take off your mud crusted boots

Curl your toes – stiff and sore

With you well darned stockings

Stay a spell – all alone

Make yourself feel at home

Careful – don’t fall asleep

Tend to the fire within

Take up the boar-headed poker

Ensure the smouldering wood

Stays safe inside the metal recess

Keep the orange blaze in check

As it has a mind of its own

Untended it could just die out

But perhaps it will rage like an inferno

Spill out of the grate and eat it all up

Dusty drapes and feeding on carpet and chair

Engulfing the room and you

Consuming all within and out

With its mighty need to win