FIRE Flashcards
They saw it from the sea
The light, the heat
And the sailors, they thought it was a sunset
Granted, unusual in its radiance,
Its brilliance
-Spilling forth unto the silth
But this was no spectacle from the heavens
It was a fire, ordinary in creation,
But it was growing, catching,
The house on the hill
Was burning
And The girl, she watched
And The girl, she watched
The house on the hills
Was A castle almost in mind
And one didn’t have to visit, to know what lay behind
Its closed doors,
The house on the hills
Was A castle almost in mind
And one didn’t have to visit, to know what lay behind
Its closed doors,
Not when there was always an Aunty in the scullery,
“In the East, they break fast, and in the West they sup”
Not when there was always an Aunty in the scullery,
“In the East, they break fast, and in the West they sup”
A gardener uncle,
“The Second Young Sir has came back from the continent,
and asked of us to toil
the earth to sow the seeds of a flower
he fancied the blossom of-
we haven’t the heart, or nerves,
To tell him they wont take to this Northern soil”
A gardener uncle,
“The Second Young Sir has came back from the continent,
and asked of us to toil
the earth to sow the seeds of a flower
he fancied the blossom of-
we haven’t the heart, or nerves,
To tell him they wont take to this Northern soil”
A cousin with feather duster in her hand
“The Lordship has acquired wonders beyond wonders,
from each Cancer and Capri of the tropics,
And has placed them in each and every well-lit corner ”
A cousin with feather duster in her hand
“The Lordship has acquired wonders beyond wonders,
from each Cancer and Capri of the tropics,
And has placed them in each and every well-lit corner ”
A brother who tended to their horses
“In the stables, they hold banquets and dance,
dance till they collapse and find themselves
in a world turned Down-Side-Up”
A brother who tended to their horses
“In the stables, they hold banquets and dance,
dance till they collapse and find themselves
in a world turned Down-Side-Up”
And aunt, uncle, cousin and brother would come home
And regale all with what they saw,
And heard rushing by in corridors
In homes much smaller than the house on the hill,
And aunt, uncle, cousin and brother would come home
And regale all with what they saw,
And heard rushing by in corridors
In homes much smaller than the house on the hill,
“Lady Such and Such has been presented to court,
And caught the eye of a fine Duke in the South,
As well as a King’s Brother,
Or Cousin,
Or something of the Other”
“Lady Such and Such has been presented to court,
And caught the eye of a fine Duke in the South,
As well as a King’s Brother,
Or Cousin,
Or something of the Other”
“Sir and So has just won his latest battle,
He was first in off the boat,
Found all the French had gone
So was first back on
Now wears 10 gold medals on his velvet tail
coat”
“Sir and So has just won his latest battle,
He was first in off the boat,
Found all the French had gone
So was first back on
Now wears 10 gold medals on his velvet tail
coat”
“A young man is up from town, by name of Bell
To brush up the Lady of the House’s likeness,
I dare say he’s been quite kind with his paint strokes”
“A young man is up from town, by name of Bell
To brush up the Lady of the House’s likeness,
I dare say he’s been quite kind with his paint strokes”
The Youngest Master can now count up each of his silver spoons in Latin”
The Youngest Master can now count up each of his silver spoons in Latin”
A youngster perched on the end of a boney knee,
Listened to each story of lordship and treasury
And thought how much she would like to have silver spoon
To sip at more than just barley
A youngster perched on the end of a boney knee,
Listened to each story of lordship and treasury
And thought how much she would like to have silver spoon
To sip at more than just barley
And the years blundered on
And The house on the hill seemed to only get bigger
And the years blundered on
And The house on the hill seemed to only get bigger
“They want to add a new wing-
“I’ve hear it’s cos his Lordship has had enough of his wife’s attempts to sing”
“It’s actually to hideaway the newest fling”
“They want to add a new wing-
“I’ve hear it’s cos his Lordship has had enough of his wife’s attempts to sing”
“It’s actually to hideaway the newest fling”
Bastards,
Parties, expansions,
Their own Drury Lane Productions
Of the Bard, Done for Parliamentary charade
Othello, Affairs
Unconsecrated sanctums,
Sugar plums, High Tea, Low Tea,
Middle-of-the-afternoon Tea
Bastards,
Parties, expansions,
Their own Drury Lane Productions
Of the Bard, Done for Parliamentary charade
Othello, Affairs
Unconsecrated sanctums,
Sugar plums, High Tea, Low Tea,
Middle-of-the-afternoon Tea
The house on the hill,
Fathers fired salt pans to keep the wax dripping there
Their hands footed their bills,
And the lords canted on,
Until even the salt couldn’t pay for all their fanfare
And then the coal mines couldn’t pay for the newest silverware
The house on the hill,
Fathers fired salt pans to keep the wax dripping there
Their hands footed their bills,
And the lords canted on,
Until even the salt couldn’t pay for all their fanfare
And then the coal mines couldn’t pay for the newest silverware
And so, one by one,
So as not to stop any ball room fun
Each worker was given their marching orders
Cousin was told to hang up her feather duster
Uncle-let the weeds grow their courses
And soon enough, there were no horses,
So need for dear brother either
And Aunt told to take her aprons with her
And so, one by one,
So as not to stop any ball room fun
Each worker was given their marching orders
Cousin was told to hang up her feather duster
Uncle-let the weeds grow their courses
And soon enough, there were no horses,
So need for dear brother either
And Aunt told to take her aprons with her
Then came a Winter that the rivers grew ice
All huddled together,
Gasping and clasping on to a hope,
Not of a god given paradise,
But a little warmth,
a prayer for an early thaw
Then came a Winter that the rivers grew ice
All huddled together,
Gasping and clasping on to a hope,
Not of a god given paradise,
But a little warmth,
a prayer for an early thaw
But in the house on the hill
A new year had just been ushered in
Quieter than previous years, Still
There was fine London gin
That can’t be enjoyed with a chill
But in the house on the hill
A new year had just been ushered in
Quieter than previous years, Still
There was fine London gin
That can’t be enjoyed with a chill
And they would later
Come to blame it on the jackdaws
Sheltering high in the chimney.
Had they not listened for the clattering,
To know they were roosting there
Maybe it all would have been avoided
Or maybe it was heard,
Regardless, a hearth was a lit,
An ember flew up, caught itself on a dry small twig
And the nest-
kindling
And they would later
Come to blame it on the jackdaws
Sheltering high in the chimney.
Had they not listened for the clattering,
To know they were roosting there
Maybe it all would have been avoided
Or maybe it was heard,
Regardless, a hearth was a lit,
An ember flew up, caught itself on a dry small twig
And the nest-
kindling
They saw it from their homes
That had little Light, no Heat
And they saw it for it was
The house on the hill
burning
They saw it from their homes
That had little Light, no Heat
And they saw it for it was
The house on the hill
burning
Led by those who’d been dismissed,
They were Followed up by those
who’d only ever borrowed a glance
As they walked on past to the sluice
Led by those who’d been dismissed,
They were Followed up by those
who’d only ever borrowed a glance
As they walked on past to the sluice
Someone laughed,
“Well I suppose we can warm our hands on that”
All of those years of work
Smoke
pouring up into the night sky
And not a single lady or lord to preside
Someone laughed,
“Well I suppose we can warm our hands on that”
All of those years of work
Smoke
pouring up into the night sky
And not a single lady or lord to preside
“They’ve all left, no one’s inside”
“And they’ve left all their stuff behind…”
An idea. And all at once had it.
“They’ve all left, no one’s inside”
“And they’ve left all their stuff behind…”
An idea. And all at once had it.
“Right, if you want something, you gotta go in yourself
Don’t be asking anyone to fetch it for ya” Said Nanna
“Right, if you want something, you gotta go in yourself
Don’t be asking anyone to fetch it for ya” Said Nanna
Aunty shuffled up, filled with some sorta strange nostalgia
“I spent all them years scrubbing their pots
I thinks it only fair that I take the lot”
And of she went, hot on the trot
Aunty shuffled up, filled with some sorta strange nostalgia
“I spent all them years scrubbing their pots
I thinks it only fair that I take the lot”
And of she went, hot on the trot
“And my rake in the stores,
They took it of us when they gave me the boot
Oh, in half the time, it’d remove all our pesky rot root”
“And my rake in the stores,
They took it of us when they gave me the boot
Oh, in half the time, it’d remove all our pesky rot root”
Of Uncle went, hell bent
One by two, two by three
In they went, Quickly ready
Him to snatch that, her to take that
One by two, two by three
In they went, Quickly ready
Him to snatch that, her to take that
She felt Nanna’s hand on hers, all gentle
“Are you set on anything petal?”
Yes, I know exactly what I want
And in through the front doors!
To no uproar
Paintings hung on gold leaf frames
Ruffles and feathers
None of them looked like her
Or matter of fact
Any one she cared about
So what would be the point in carrying all that tat
She walked on past
She felt Nanna’s hand on hers, all gentle
“Are you set on anything petal?”
Yes, I know exactly what I want
And in through the front doors!
To no uproar
Paintings hung on gold leaf frames
Ruffles and feathers
None of them looked like her
Or matter of fact
Any one she cared about
So what would be the point in carrying all that tat
She walked on past
Stories guiding her feet in
And round and through to The Kitchen,
Those were the stoves her Aunties stooped over
And there, Cousins “damned potato peeler”
Stories guiding her feet in
And round and through to The Kitchen,
Those were the stoves her Aunties stooped over
And there, Cousins “damned potato peeler”
Drawer, after drawer,
Scoured
That cupboard door, No-maybe this one
There was supposed to be more, but
Nothing.
And then she remembered.
Drawer, after drawer,
Scoured
That cupboard door, No-maybe this one
There was supposed to be more, but
Nothing.
And then she remembered.
“The good stuff, they like to show off,
Hardly use ‘em,
It’s apparently the done thing,
Just keep em in a cabinet,
And we polish them”
“The good stuff, they like to show off,
Hardly use ‘em,
It’s apparently the done thing,
Just keep em in a cabinet,
And we polish them”
They were never in here to begin with
How had she missed it?
Go back, and quick
They were never in here to begin with
How had she missed it?
Go back, and quick
The fire had reached the main room
She looked up, Empty spaces-
frames gone, flames licking canvas faces
And there
Across the room
The glass cabinet,
Painted Plates
Silver trays,
Goblets engraved with the family crest
“They haven’t figured out how they want to display them yet,
So they just keep em in an oak box on the shelf, waiting to be set”
“They haven’t figured out how they want to display them yet,
So they just keep em in an oak box on the shelf, waiting to be set”
And there it was-second shelf.
Run
Black square, white square, Black square
Her sister polished these tiles,
Said the lady of the house gave a scare
Told her to scrub until she could see her-
And there it was-second shelf.
Run
Black square, white square, Black square
Her sister polished these tiles,
Said the lady of the house gave a scare
Told her to scrub until she could see her-
A beam crashed to the ground
One more and the roof would collapse
And She’d never be found
Forward she clambered over
Splinters in her boot straps
A beam crashed to the ground
One more and the roof would collapse
And She’d never be found
Forward she clambered over
Splinters in her boot straps
Lead dripped, Trying to cause her to trip
But then there she was
Standing in front of The cabinet
In the reflection, her face was made of water
Oh, the glass, was melting-
No matter
She reached out for the ornate handle
-In Take of Breath-
Lead dripped, Trying to cause her to trip
But then there she was
Standing in front of The cabinet
In the reflection, her face was made of water
Oh, the glass, was melting-
No matter
She reached out for the ornate handle
-In Take of Breath-
She grabbed the box, felt the weight of it
Breathed out,
Quick, before the fire eats away more at the roof
She grabbed the box, felt the weight of it
Breathed out,
Quick, before the fire eats away more at the roof
In the years that came later
They would sell most of what they
Winters were easier for a time
But they laughed still at how cousin, almost fell dragging out
One lady’s wardrobe behind her
“I dressed her enough times to know
My figure had her measures”
Or that in his haste,
All brother had retrieved what was essentially just waste
In the years that came later
They would sell most of what they
Winters were easier for a time
But they laughed still at how cousin, almost fell dragging out
One lady’s wardrobe behind her
“I dressed her enough times to know
My figure had her measures”
Or that in his haste,
All brother had retrieved what was essentially just waste
And She sat, much older, rocking a niece’s cot,
While she stirred dinner in what had been good Aunts good pot
Filled with food for all coming tonight
To talk of how they would set the world right
With her right hand
Etched still with the floral notes of that damned handle
Some fool once said it looked beautiful
She opened that wooden box,
That She hid in the sleeves of a tatty old frock
And counted,
Yes, Not just one for her
There a silver spoon for all of them,
