When the coal
Gave out, we began
Burning the books, one by one;
First the set
Of Bulwer-Lytton
And then the Walter Scott.
They gave a lot of warmth.
Toward the end, in
February, flames
Consumed the Greek
Tragedians and Baudelaire,
Proust, Robert Burton
And the Po-Chu-i. Ice
Thickened on the sills.
More for the sake of the cat,
We said, than for ourselves,
Who huddled, shivering,
Against the stove
All winter long.
(Weldon Kees)
More Poetry from Weldon Kees:
Weldon Kees Poems based on Topics: Books, Cats- Aspects Of Robinson (Weldon Kees Poems)
- Robinson At Home (Weldon Kees Poems)
- For My Daughter (Weldon Kees Poems)
- A Pastiche For Eve (Weldon Kees Poem)
- Covering Two Years (Weldon Kees Poem)
- Colloquy (Weldon Kees Poem)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Books Poems, Cats PoemsBased on Keywords: scott, thickened, walter, sills, baudelaire, burton, proust, tragedians