The flames are dancing
to their own beat
as the room fills with
the coal fire’s heat.
Bottles are opened and
glasses are filled to the brim
while armchairs are
occupied to rest weary limbs.
The conversation flows
as stories are retold,
the front sitting room serves
as the last bastion for the old.
The younger ones sit gathered
around the kitchen table,
silently checking their phones
while others are smoking
against the outside gable.
Family members who haven’t
seen each other in years
warmly embrace through
eyes filled with tears.
A sudden death has reunited
everyone in grief,
but they time they will spend
together will be all too brief.
Photo by moein moradi on Pexels.com
Bibliophile 