an apron of steam

candies with nougat centers as white as snow

cocoa as thick and rich as melted chocolate bars

cold, dark forests/thundered through the quiet wilderness

we climbed mountains so high it seemed as if we would scrape the moon

rolling over peaks and through valleys like a car on a roller coaster

a barren desert of ice

The lights of the North Pole looked like the lights of a strange ocean liner.

a huge city standing alone at the top of the world

The train slowed to a crawl.

pranced and paced

stood Santa’s sleigh

disappeared in the cold, dark polar sky

it broke my heart to lose the bell

a loud blast from its whistle

seat of my sleigh