The Living Room Furniture

bonfire night in a big garden you need something to burn
i was nine we had a Guy (sack-head stick-legs
black marker pen eyes on butchered cardboard) spent ages
making him look real me and my brother Callum he was seven
fiery locks flicking about like a premonition what to burn?
dad looked out from the kitchen saw the Guy thumbs up
great effigy kids let’s show the skies the power of the English crown
big sister Josie on the living room sofa watching Blind Date
we scraped her name out of leaves on the patio then asked her
what to burn what to burn? rack your brains put your brains on the rack
shall we go to the woods we might find branches and twigs but no
dad said they will be sodden we thought again scraps of ideas
sinking into the living room fixtures all made of birchwood
home to wilting cushions peeking through their patches at us
why not said dad it’s falling apart your mother is not coming back
help me lug it outside we put our hands underneath the sofa
it shifted Josie opened the doors to a black sky howling for light
a long path down to the end of the garden dad huffing deeply
breathing steam into november the fire was magnificent