Tuesday, October 30, 2012

The Red Rhone


It occupied its shelf, resting,
this green bottle holding
memory and promise, waiting
for its moment of glory.
The young proprietor, speaking
only a fraction of English, smiling,
had offered it, assuring
in his English-less French, nodding
his recommendation.
He would not see the two, leaving
France the next day, Americans
again, but the green glass containing
his suggestion would be a gift,
a red from the Rhone Valley, reminding
them of the young proprietor managing
his shop on the Rue des Martyrs.

In 1999, my wife and I were in Paris, and some two blocks from our hotel discovered the Rue des Martyrs, with its flower stalls, food shops, candy shops, bakeries and a wine shop with a young proprietor. The bottle, when we opened it later back home, lived up to the English-less recommendation.

This poem is submitted for the TweetSpeak Poetry prompt offered Monday by Seth Haines – Gluhwein Memories.

It’s also submitted to Open Link Night at dVerse Poets. To see more poems, please visit the site. The links will be live today at 2 p.m. Central time.

5 comments:

Maureen said...

I know that street well. A friend, an artist, lived there.

SimplyDarlene said...

Sir Glynn,
Thanks for this poem... never thought of wine as a "moment of glory." I kinda like that.

Blessings.

Brian Miller said...

smiles....not a bad reminder to bring along to bring back the memories of that trip...and that street....

Anonymous said...

A lovely story, sweetly told. k.

Anonymous said...

I know how much goes into that bottle that travels into the future for opening and sharing.