Parifin heater

Before home central heating,

Cold winters, seemed much worse,

Two storey home, four bedrooms,

Electric heaters, scarce.

Home comforts were not missing,

Coal fire in living room,

Warmed that room, and the water,

So life was not all gloom.

To take the chill from bedrooms,

Before we trod upstairs,

Dad lit paraffin heater,

Kept us, like teddybears.

Oil bottle in, the wick was lit 

The dome, it glowed bright red

The upstairs rooms, did get quite warm’

As we kids went to bed.

Howe’er, they had their problems,

SOMETIMES, the flames severe,

My dad, though, was our hero,

With him, we knew NO fear.

He knew exactly what to do,

To keep us safe and sound,

Whene’er the flames were raging,

Our hero dad, was found.

We all survived to tell the tale

Of hardship in those days,

With central heating radi'tors

Those times are now past ways.