My mother would have loved this house.
All she ever wanted was a fireplace -
And I have one thatβs never held a fire.
She lived in what the rich would call a hovel.
It was clean but it was old and worn.
I have two stories and a chandelier.
She would have liked my upstairs guest room
And the elegant stairway leading there.
She would have reveled in the sun-filled aerie.
Would that I could give it all to her right now,
But she never lived to see this house,
To leave her essence in the air and walls.
She died without a fireplace of her own.
Because of that, Iβll never light the one included
In this house that far exceeds what I deserve.
ljm
I've written about her longing for a cozy fireplace before.