Through The Smoke Hole

  

There is another world above this one; or outside of this one;  the way to it is thru the smoke of this one, & the hole that smoke goes thru. The ladder is the way thru the smoke hole;  the ladder holds up, some say, the world above; it might have been a tree or a pole; I think it is merely a way.

Fire is at the foot of the ladder. The fire is in the center. The walls are round. There is also another world below or inside this one. The way there is down thru the smoke. It is not necessary to think of a series.

Raven and Magpie do not need the ladder. They fly thru the smoke holes shrieking and stealing. Coyote falls thru; we recognize him only as a clumsy relative, a father in old clothes we don’t wish to see with our friends.

It is possible to cultivate the fields of our own world without much thought for the others. When men emerge from below we see them as the masked dancers of our magic dreams. When men disappear down, we see them as plain men going somewhere else.  When men disappear up we see them as great heroes shining thru the smoke. When men come back from above they fall thru and tumble; we don’t really know them; Coyote, as mentioned before.

Gary Snyder