Winter Night

The night is cold with winter’s grey

The storm obscures the sky

The snow descends and settles on

The world as I pass by

The house and road and frozen lake

While firewood I take

Along with me to mem’ries hearth

The dying coals to wake

***

The night is cold with winter’s grey

The wind pounds at the door

I feed the fire with wood and coal

And ash falls to the floor

And as I rest beside the fire

The embers start to stir

I settle in and think upon

The way that things once were

***

When night was cold with winter’s grey

We’d gather near the fire

A tree a glow with strings of light

And baubles to admire

The scent of pine and dinner cake

And grandmother’s perfume

The crinkle of bright wrapping papers

To ward away the gloom

***

When night was cold with winter’s grey

Bright wrappings on the floor

We’d raise our glass to bless the house

And all who’d gone before

A glass to He who watches o’er

A glass for dear old dad

A glass to all the years ahead

And all of those we’d had

***

But now the night is cold and grey

The fire and mem’ries fade

Though many now have gone before

I alone have stayed

To think and write and leave a coal

To keep a mem’ry warm

So when another comes to find

The hearth will be reborn.