I promised myself

no more cold winters

stuck indoors

as I approached the autumn

years of fifty.

I promised with hand on heart,

a vow to my then hopefully older self

that by then, the words would have meant

something more, that the days

would be long and bright,

not sat under a blanket,

with two pairs of socks, a cardigan, long johns on

trying to keep my nose from freezing

and turning blue, choosing

between heating the house and eating a meal,