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WHO’S BLACK AND WHITE AND RED ALL OVER? by Ken Gosse
Who’s Black and White and Red All Over? by Ken Gosse
Somehow, a great white beard he’ll keep
as bright as snow, both clean and deep
while just one night a year he’ll creep
down flues to hearth—a chimney sweep.
Mistaken sometimes for Falstaff
whose ample belly gets a laugh,
or even for a musketeer
in red and black, devoid of fear,
bravado comes in joyful sound
on landing from his famous bound;
for once both feet have hit the ground
his “Ho, Ho, Umph!” starts to rebound.
The children, desperate for a view,
stay up too late, like children do.
Now fast asleep, they’ll hear no noise
while dreaming of their Christmas toys.
Though covered now with sooty coal,
that won’t deter him from his goal.
There’s magic under his control—
no smudge is left by his boot’s sole.
And though his job’s a dirty one,
it’s critical and must be done.
Fur linings changed to black from white—
a messy but delightful sight.
Behold! On opening his sack,
the white’s restored from sooty black.
He’ll leave once he’s enjoyed the snack
“For Santa. Next year, please come back!”
*Who’s Black and White and Red All Over? is about a visit from Santa and the mess you’d expect it might cause. It’s an ekphrastic poem originally written in one hour (but modified since then) in December 2018 for Visual Verse Volume 06, Chapter 02. The image is a painting of a Beijing Opera character by Dong Chensheng. It reminded me of Falstaff, then of Santa (perhaps since it was December), so that’s where I took the poem.
