Fear Would Come At Lights Out

Remembering once again childhood days When mother would on warm days let fire die Maybe she would stop me from my fun play We would go for that afternoon walk__sigh Down long road to the branch across the way With our small pails probably once held lard Back then everything was fried in that day We would look for vein of whitewash real hard After gathering the whitewash head home Where mother would clean around fireplace hearth She would remove ashes; set the soft tone For our home, on her hands_ knees clean no mirth She would then whitewash the hearth inside rim Glistening clean white, adding wood stoke fire It would crackle send tiny sparks to swim Briefly in air like stars of night aspire Gathering around the fire family time News, stories, tall tales; safe and warm no doubt Gradually fire would die into bed climb Fear would come for daddy would say lights out