Where There's Gray Smoke

Where There's Gray Smoke

Faint gray smoke falls, fading away into only a taste on the air
Broken, distant, and far from what one longs for
On summer nights, it comes full strength, but in winter bare
The smoke goes, leaving all wanting something more

Faith rebuilt, but destroyed over and over,
Forcing me to fall, but not to cry
Anger grows deep and strong, a hatred is born
For the winter that hides the gray smoke

Black snakes and fat spiders, making me reel in my bare feet
For fear of being bitten, and fear of losing toes
Flat bread, dark coffee, rosy drinks and orange jelly
And a wild path to follow the gray smoke

Grapevines and roses, sungrown cheer that won't die
Strong cedar, bushy lavender and roly-poly red watermelon
Yellow cherry, green apple and orange peach trees
Blotted with color, a garden of gray smoke

A tower of stone, taller than I can ever hope to be
Iron rails, and rocky handholds to risk my neck on
Bare light bulbs in some rooms, crystal chandeliers in others,
And water rich with the clean smell of chlorine

A patched cat, fed dreams and meat
Died, leaving behind the dreams:
Six kittens, and six hungry furballs to love
All covered in gray smoke

Nights of thick royal, and white starglow
Faraway lights glitter, a smoky city
And I want to die looking at the lights,
for their rapture to linger in my eyes.

A family, impossible to describe, and impossible to fade
The smoke can only help to define them
For they will always be in my heart and mind,
And remembering them will always hurt

When the dreaded day finally arrives
A plane comes, and the smoke fades
I hug the kittens, kiss the roses
Whisper goodbye to the city
In winter it goes back to two lights
instead of three
I hold on to my family, wishing with all my heart
It didn't have to be this way
That I didn't have to go back
To a world where reality is all too strong
And where there's no gray smoke