I Sit Beside the Fire and Think*

I sit beside the fire and think
Of all the things that I have done
Of all the places that I've seen
Each one kissed by a different sun

I sit beside the fire and think
Of England in the spring
Of flowers blooming everywhere
And breeze-blown trees susurrating

I sit beside the fire and think
Of where the air is clear and the land, bare
And every stream is a dry arroyo
A single tree is a forest there**

I sit beside the fire and think
Of Lafayette in the fall
The brilliant colors of the woods out back
They beckon me with a siren call

I sit beside the fire and think
Of my day spent in the snow:
My Iowa winter, carols and sledding
Make me savor the ruddy glow.

*Props to Tolkien for the inspiration
** Oro Grande National Forest is a single dead tree by the side of the road. I kid you not.