Sitting in front of the fire

I live in an old house that has a fireplace, the cozy, traditional kind with a chimney.  My architect friends tell me that this is not an efficient way to heat a room, but I enjoy its glow and the warmth you can feel if you sit close to it.  I associate it with winters in my childhood, when my parents, my brother, and I would sit around a fire reading books and telling stories.  I remember reading about pirates, ghosts, slave zombies, and dragons.  It's kind of funny to realize that these strange supernatural creatures have reemerged in popular culture.  The books I read were from several generations ago.  They were old and ugly, but I loved the movies they projected in my mind. 

So here I sit now, reminiscing by the fire with a laptop and a kindle.  I wish I was reading and writing on worn paper rather than cold plastic, but I appreciate the convenience of these technologies. 

I am excited about the Haiku contest.  I wish I had mentioned it in class today.  I will put the advertisement in our Canvas website.  

Most of you probably know what a haiku is; it's a short Japanese form of poetry that comprises of three lines with 5 syllables - 7 syllables - 5 syllables.  Here are some examples that I just wrote:

I write a poem
as I sit by the fireplace
warm feet, cold fingers.

I pronounce the word "fire" as two syllables FI-ER.  So I could eliminate "fireplace" and just put "fire." 

Embers glow orange
Ashes collect on old bricks,
twigs sit safe, untouched.

Apparently teachers can enter the contest as well.  I will enter these as my submissions, even though they don't have anything to do with Valentine's Day.