We stretch out nodding off
before the fire’s dry lullaby,
our toes up close

The cold wind that blew all day
keeps trying to snatch the heat
from the house

And the smiling setting crescent moon
casts its pale light
through the window

We have ways to keep warm
and ways to keep busy,
one of them being
to tuck ourselves in till tomorrow.

©Wendy Mulhern
February 24, 2023