the feast of Paris

cheap métro flowers wilt after two days
they bring beautiful colors to brighten a table
every culinary appetite can be satisfied
Chinese, Lebanese, tex-mex, tapas, sushi,
a typical wine and cheese bar
before the after-dinner drink at Starbuck's
while words of love, spoken in tens of languages
titillate eavesdropping ears wondering how to decipher
the symphonic communication of foreign human speech

the city's workers read free news during morning or evening trips
in crowded métro or suburban trains, phones ring original tunes,
exuberant doses of perfume combine with pungent human sweat
the others ask, grimy hands extended, got a penny?

they too, used to dream, while rush hour traveling,
of their first kiss on the threshold of Notre Dame
at the Louvre in front of Venus or Mona
they too knew the beauty of words of love
now they inhabit the outskirts of the open air markets
for the furtive moments of trash-bin raids afterwards

while in the Latin Quarter
privileged tourists sip bottled water
digital cameras click, flashing all the cardinal points
heels rap on cobblestone pavements
or dance on wooden footbridges spanning the Seine,
would-be historians marvel at sixteenth century buildings

later a leisurely sunset walk from the Tuilleries
up the Champs Elysées, window shopping haven,
along the banks of the Seine lovers stroll arm in arm
springtime flowers blossom in gentle, pastel colors
the nighttime Eiffel Tower glimmers
postcards everywhere on the eye's horizon

I have dwelled here peacefully all of my life,
in the magical metropolis of this global miniature
counting some eleven million souls
each searching the path towards home
though the less fortunate, under the linden trees
blankets spread on wooden park benches,
dream still about their jaded yesterdays
whispering their fading words of love…

I count myself lucky

the feast of Paris
22 may, 2006
(Slam! second round)

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