Soon the fire would be roaring
The coal fires were a godsend in their day,
You could rely on them day and night.
No need to worry about electricity or gas cuts,
Just a match was needed to ignite.
You would start with your twisted-up paper,
Then place on your bundle of sticks.
Place the coal on top of this lot,
Then once alight it all just clicks.
Soon the fire would be roaring,
With the flames starting to shoot high.
But if at first this did not work out,
Then you would just have another try.
Once the fire was in full swing,
You can put on anything that will burn.
No need to rely on the coal man coming,
This is one step you would soon learn.
Anything like old shoes or clothes,
Just chuck them on the fire black.
Now they are ready to be dragged forward,
So that has sorted out the likes of that.
Wellies, canvas and oilywood blocks,
These all count when you were flat broke.
The only little drawback to say,
It created tons and tons of black smoke.
With the timber yards on our doorstep,
The coal ships were just a stone’s throw away.
You were always blessed with stuff to burn,
On any given cold snowy winter’s day.
Today we have now gone and changed,
Me, I do not think this is for the best.
For like a lot of life’s good things,
The coal fire has now almost been put to rest.