Saturday, July 14, 2012

Vive la revolution



We step down from the Thalys
at Gare du Nord, to find
armed soldiers dividing
around us, seeking
prison escapees,
or terrorists, perhaps,
and we find ourselves
in the middle of what
Parisians call En Strike,
museum workers wildcatting
shutdowns, protesting
something, tourists perhaps,
Mona Lisa’s smile hidden
behind locked doors,
the Impressionists at d’Orsay
            suddenly available
            for a few hours, anyway,
we hear a rumor that Versailles
            is open but the Arc de Triomphe
            is not
but we find a small bistro for dinner
and a café for jambon et fromage
and Rue des Martyrs filled
            with small shops
and lunch on top Galleries Lafayette
and a dinner on the bateau mouche
and what it’s like to take the Metro
at 11 at night and somehow we fall
in love all over again.
Vive la revolution.


It’s Bastille Day, and dVerse Poets is celebrating all things French. The above poem is an entirely true story. (I left out the parts about the pickpocket, the visit to the police station, the strike at Charles De Gaulle Airport and the long walk down the Champs Elysees.) Please visit dVerse Poets for more poems about France.

13 comments:

Brian Miller said...

whew that felt rather like a whirlwind, one thing to the next which i imagine my first visit might be like...wanting to see everything...falling in love though...now that makes for a beautiful closure...

Martha Jane Orlando said...

Wow, like Brian, I found myself in a whirlwind and flurry of activity, unexpected and unanticipated. Much like I would imagine being caught up in a revolution might be for the unsuspecting. That love is found in the midst of chaos - that's the ticket!
Blessings, Glynn!

Laurie Kolp said...

Sounds exciting anyway... I especially like-

Mona Lisa’s smile hidden
behind locked doors

Anonymous said...

The listing aspect of this works very well, listing in both meanings of the world. Really intersting. k.

Anonymous said...

cafe and small shops.....sounds like a good time

J Cosmo Newbery said...

Good things. Bad things. The stuff of memories.

Dana Dampier said...

Confusion, excitement, and love ... sounds like you had a great time!

lucychili said...

a wonderful adventure

Unknown said...

I want to go to there! :)

Ruth said...

Revolution is feminine. So it should be LA revolution. (And there's supposed to be an accent, too.) Those are my French teacher comments.

I like the poem. That's my reader comment. :-)

Day Dreamer said...

I love this piece! It made me smile because shortly before reading it, I had a Gardens of Time quest to the Arc de Triomphe! :)

Jody Lee Collins said...

Glynn, my husband and I celebrated our anniversary (39th!) yesterday. This lovely poem makes another perfect way to remember la quatorze du Juillet.

Merci.

Caroline Gerardo said...

L'énergie d'une grève à Paris, ce qui permet l'abandon des péchés du passé minuscules. La ville des lumières allumer vos coeurs.
Yes
Paris lights, and the abandon of a strike opened your hearts.