Remembering Paris in October
Jotting down memories now that it’s over…
The apartment we rented on Rue de Sèvres,
I packed only one grey winter sweater,
Creaky doors and slanted wood floors,
Eating French yogurt from tiny glass jars,
A young smoker camps on her balcony,
Too many people for just two keys,
Sunny days and cool calm nights,
Church bells sound at the oddest of times,
Drinking Bordeaux from water glasses,
Malodorous metros and Navigo passes,
After sunset, the soft pink sky,
A clothes dryer that just wouldn’t dry,
Five of us drenched in a surprise rain shower,
Amazing view at the Montparnasse Tower,
The blue-eyed man at the Vaneau stop,
The birds clatter at 4 o’clock…
Crunching through leaves at the Luxembourg Gardens,
Baguettes so good but then become hardened,
Mustard yellow attire and scarfs at each glance,
Boys and girls in tight-legged pants,
La Vie en Rose playing everywhere,
Climbing up and down winding wood stairs,
Singing songs with our names in the lyrics,
Museums, attractions and theatre tickets,
Escargot on my sister’s plate,
Washing machine with a three hour wait,
Drinking champagne on a boat near the bow,
October in Paris…it’s over now.
A Pierman Sister 