It was a long walk back

And we moved slower than I thought.

My hearth might not be too warm,

And we’ll be sharing the cot.

I haven’t the world to offer

But it’s more home than out there,

And two makes for good comp’ny

It’s no bother to share.

I’d like to show you the foyer

And the stairs and the hall,

But for now it’s just a room,

Enough room for a ball.

I’d put on a record to dance to

But the gramophone’s broke

And I’ve got no time to tinker

There’s a fire to stoke.

Maybe after I’ve cooked,

You could gift me a dance,

Oh “The neighbour’s got dinner”?

I hadn’t spared him a glance.

I’ll stay back and wait till next time,

Perhaps the time after that,

I’m a bit tired for an outing,

I’ll see you when you get back.

It’s been colder than usual,

This Winter’s dug its claws deep,

It’s not so easy finding warmth now,

There’s just the glow when we sleep.

I’m sorry this room’s not exciting,

And takes a lot to maintain,

I wish you’d have followed the exit,

Rather than chip at the paint.

That’s my lamp, please don’t break it,

Though it’s barely alight,

Without that flame I can’t fathom

The coming hours of night.

Now I wish I had more oil,

Enough for two lamps or three,

But you’ve filled them with water,

I think I’d like you to leave.

I thought that letting you in

Would make things better than same,

But now my poor room is hurting,

It’s more ugly than when you came.

I’ve got some friends with with some tools

And enough kindling to burn,

There’ll be more dancing in here

And fewer unspoken words.

This room will be warm again.

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Ryan Ciarma is a 24-year-old from Montreal. His works in CAL are the first of his poems to be published from his past year of more serious pursuits in poetry. Using poetry as a tool for clarifying pesky thoughts and puzzling out tricky emotions is where Ryan found a fondness for writing.