Fire time

The time of fires is with us once again.
You sit there in the yellow lamplight reading
I hover by the stove to warm my hands,
The baby sleeps in darkness over there.

We live in circles for a span of time.
The circle of the light cast by a lamp,
The circle of warmth around the kitchen stove
The circle of warmth beneath the sheets at night.

The winter is a time for living closely.
I start to feel it's breath upon the air;
Feel it in the chill and silent mornings
When all the ground is heavily glazed with frost.

There is a sweet contentment in close living
A vague surrender bringing with it peace.
The nights are long and cold the stars seem frozen
Glittering a million miles away.

Yet here inside the fire is burning brightly
And as it warms my face it comforts me,
For the time of fires is a time of nearness
Sitting here within the lamplight's glow.