By Lawrence Hall

Word Count: 93

Rating: G

Summary: A poem about firewood as not many poems are about them

(as Chesterton did not say)

“…’on back…’on back…’on back…WHOA! Kill the motor.”

Leaning on the side of a pickup truck

Remembering the arcana of youth

On the farm: White Mule gloves, axe, splitting maul

Red oak, white oak, live oak, pine knot kindling

Three of us loading wood in the cloudy-cold

With practiced skill setting ranks of good oak

From the tailgate forward, settling the tires

Loading, unloading, stacking, and burning:

This winter’s firewood will warm us four times