Shuddering Flare

And then the cold had its story to tell again and emerged overnight The seasons had not changed but as always kept a sudden surprise Days sunbathing and skinny dipping on the beach felt like a shiver As the UV filter congealed in oily tubes and prepared to hibernate Shells from the shoreline caught the fading light by the window Sent a message of hope and rebirth with foregone conclusions That life can be a nauseous circle and hearts can fade without fail Pebbles watched on still sandy and puzzled for they had lost the sea Driftwood was stacked near the fireplace and awaited its fate Would it go up in smoke or be preserved for artwork and fantasy Knotted and round at the edges the tinder planned its escape We should warm hearts and memories and refuse to be ashes Fossilised wisdom cast its message from the core of its surface Requested to be held in regard and esteem by the collector Sandalwood fragrance conjoined with salty motion making waves And reached deep inside sadness and sorrow for ongoing erosion Jenny had lit candles whose flames danced a ballet with apt feeling Moving as they held court over coal logs bellow ember and ashes Their flickering flashes sang a tune of resilience and feeble closure Blending with shades of rose petals and thorns gathered in summer While woollen hats blankets and hot water bottles found purpose In the essence and meaning of heart-warming tender togetherness Jenny folded summer clothes and gave them a home in the confines Of her chest of drawers handed down over generations of close kin She made pumpkin soup with ground cinnamon and nobly ginger Grated herbs seeds and remembrance then smacked her kind lips My kisses have survived another year frozen as they may impress The knowledge that life is impermanent and wanes as it struggles In the distance a fog horn sounded mist spray darkness and longing The lighthouse’s beams shone a torch and glowed unperturbed Whereas Jenny felt a moment of questioning the might of the ocean Took out a photograph and honoured her husband long missed in a storm 25th October 2019