Stems roots and leaves, and now an urgent reprieve from a bent mind. To underscore for some time to come, the absolute need for a sober calm. When it was Christmas the nativity of our lord, his benediction was this unseemly discord; in me. Under a moonlit sky a color of magic and echoing music and certain dialectics of proud logic. And later abandoned by the night floating in sleep on two strips of wood. Soaked gently by an invisible rain. These days ricochet and come back again. Just one night spent away from her like many others that are tied each to each devoid of intimacy and coyness. She danced under the open sky three hours long and I too danced differently to different songs that at that time seemed to lend themselves more to longing than to an exhilarated thrall. The morning after I wished her Christmas and she already knew that it was that time again but this time it was wrong to have been somewhere else in some other ball. Thus it is that a fairy tale one night long has two versions jingle bells and santa claus.