Inglenook

19 Jan Inglenook

Illuminated by the light of the hearth

I went to bed one evening
And in the morning rose
To find a potted plant
With a healthy glow
Atop the mantel, sitting
But I’d not placed it so
I asked my love about it
He said he did not know

Where did it come from?
Should I leave it be?
Uncertain of intention
Was it even meant for me?
My darling, he denied it
‘Twas not the work of thieves
Our home is shared by two
So, how’d this come to be?

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I began to give it water
Cared, but questioned still
How did it arrive here?
Was intention kind or ill?
My beloved, he ignored me
He’d long had his fill
So, I carried on in silence
Questioning what was real

Over time, I did not water
The plant I did not buy
It thinned itself to nothing
My sweetheart asked me why
I’d grown tired of the wonder
Exhausted by the lie
I’d become the only person
Delaying its demise

I went to bed that evening
And in the morning rose
To find a potted plant
Burnt to ashes in the coals
From the mantel, missing
Now a space, left blank and cold
I asked my love about it
He said he did not know