white smoke rises up

"White smoke rising up in the valley, against the light, slowly taking animal forms, with a dark background of wooded hills behind."--Thomas Merton, December 13, 1960.


white smoke rises up
santa clause jumps down into
conjoined merriment

letting the smoke clear
in distant skies-- allows dreams
to capture more joy

beneath the scalped sky
lie tiny angels singing
sleep will come in time

Kate Lamberg
12/24/11