Half my wintertime life, or so it seems,
I spend standing beside our old Round
Oak stove—which stands at the center
of our house—hands behind my back,
resting on my butt, palms out, warmth
of the fire in the woodstove working its
way into my body. Then turn around and
bake the other side. Too hot? Just move
a step or two away. It’s so simple, easy.
And all you’ve got to do is work all year,
sweat and heave and groan
to make this little moment happen.
Oh, now I sing praises to a wood fire,
to the heat this smoky burning liberates,
the heat that keeps us warm all winter.
Oh, praise this primordial fire, praise heat
in its most basic form:
the blessed warmth that comes from
our old, wood burning, Round Oak stove.

From Happy Life, forthcoming from Copper Canyon Press in 2011
Used here with the author's permission.