Snowy Ghosts

The fire crackles red, 

Casting ghosts upon the walls. 

The marshmallows sizzle and char. 

The chocolate melts and the cocoa burns. 

Outside the snowy wind howls. 

In my arms, beneath fur and wool,

There you rest, soft and cool,

Warding off the sternest scowls. 

The door opens. My head turns. 

No chill enters, no freezing scar. 

No ice out there, but tepid halls:

I waken alone, cold, in my bed.