7.

The candle he gifted
Shone steady and strong
With it burning beside me
It didn’t seem long

‘Til the first rays of sunshine
Announced Christmas Day
And the candle went out,
So I hid it away

And I toddled downstairs;
To my parents’ surprise
Well-rested, and not
Rubbing sleep from my eyes.

But a lingering trace
Of the danger remained
As the carpet outside
Of my door was quite stained

With sepulchral markings,
The fabric threadbare
As if something white-hot
Had been scrabbling there.

But it soon got replaced
And the year took its leave
To find me unguarded
That next Christmas Eve.

My parents decreed
I was suitably grown
That should they go out
I could stay on my own,

So a knock at the door
Made my chest swell with pride
And I reached on my tiptoes
And opened it wide…