Rate:5.0 / 2 votes

Warm Words

Susan Mayer Brumel

Free verse
Warm Words

I sit at the foot of the sleepy fire,
a chilled blanket of darkness
wrapped around me,  
watching air-hungry flames
flicker and faint to pale yellows.

Coppery embers crackle and choke.
And then…your warm words
climb down the chimney and sit beside them like fresh kindling,
urging the firelight’s return.

About this poem

Sometimes all it takes to rekindle light and hope, are warm and uplifting words.

Font size:
Collection       
 

Written on February 14, 2024

Submitted by susan.brumel on February 19, 2024

18 sec read
40

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXXXX XXXX
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 327
Words 62
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 5, 4
Full analysis for Warm Words »

Susan Mayer Brumel

A few years ago, I retired from a thirty-five year career in hospice counseling, at which time I began writing poetry. My poems are influenced by my patients’ journeys, the compelling beauty of nature, and the human condition. A lover of all animals and most people, I enjoy spending time in nature, long walks, and reading Pablo Neruda, Blake, William Carlos Williams, James Joyce, Mary Oliver, Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou, Leonard Cohen, and more. Baudelaire tells us to ‘be drunk’ on something every day; I am drunk on poetry and intend never to be sober! more…

All Susan Mayer Brumel poems | Susan Mayer Brumel Books

46 fans

Discuss the poem Warm Words with the community...

3 Comments
  • yelskwah
    yelskwah
    The opening lines, with their description of sitting "at the foot of the sleepy fire" and a "chilled blanket of darkness" wrapped around the speaker, immediately establish a sense of cold and isolation. The imagery of the "air-hungry flames" that "flicker and faint" effectively conveys the fragility of the fire and the speaker's sense of vulnerability. 
    LikeReply20 days ago
  • philmaund
    philmaund
    My love language is Words of Affirmation so I really enjoyed this!
    LikeReply4 months ago
    • susan.brumel
      susan.brumel
      So happy this one resonated with you! Thank you.
      LikeReply1 month ago
  • npirandy
    npirandy
    So, have those flames rekindled? Happy belated Valentines Day to my profound friend.
    LikeReply 11 year ago
    • susan.brumel
      susan.brumel
      Flicker and flame…Same to you, and thanks for reading.
      LikeReply1 year ago

Translation

Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Citation

Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"Warm Words" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 19 Mar. 2025. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/181208/warm-words>.

Powered by CITE.ME Cite.Me

Become a member!

Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

More poems by

Susan Mayer Brumel

»

March 2025

Poetry Contest

Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
12
days
5
hours
14
minutes
84 entries submitted — 66 remaining

Special Program

Earn Rewards!

Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

Our awesome collection of

Promoted Poems

»

Browse Poetry.com

#ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 

Quiz

Are you a poetry master?

»
The poet of the line: "I should be glad of another death." Is...
A Walt Whitman
B Sylvia Plath
C Emily Dickinson
D T.S. Eliot