Chimney Smoke

“The Mayor’s Pipe” they called it,
a towering construct which loomed high
over the rustic village
cradled in the valley.

And from time to time
The Pipe would start to smoke
and puff out wisps of incensed smoke
for hours upon end.

The village men would celebrate this
as a sign of luck and fortune.
The village women merely smiled
and kept their secrets to themselves.