Ash

Reading Laying the Fire, Andrew Motion

My father managed

logs and ash

on chilled mornings

in the suburbs

scraping

the fire place clean

with a soft brush

and shovel

fit for purpose.

He swept carefully

holding his breath

so as not to breathe

the inevitable

delicate dust

of yesterday’s briquettes

and wood.

And when done

he held up a sheet

of newsprint

in front of the new

meticulous pile

of twigs and paper,

willing a new day’s

fire to spark and catch.

He was confident

in this manly practice—

knew the ropes.

But any familial hopes

he had about certitude

peace or quiet

were burnt most days

as small domestic

catastrophes

rose in flames,

leaving nothing

but grey ash.

Simeon Kronenberg has published poetry, reviews, interviews and essays in Australian poetry journals and anthologies. He has also published widely on the contemporary visual arts. Distance, his first poetry collection, was launched in June 2018.