Monday, October 29, 2012

I never wear a beret in Paris

so we were in the moulin rouge
in 1890
i would never go there
today or tomorrow
the deux moulins
has a red framed
glass barrier
the hotel lift
door opens on tomorrow
the day after
people walking
escalators down
sidney is not a city
he loses his head
in my paris
balconies watch
people walking
geraniums flower
windows with
paris inside
doors open onto balconies
henry cant find
the other door
the importance of being
in paris is
coming home
geraniums flower
in my window
who will water them
no bell rang
quasimodo

8 comments:

Susan Scheid said...

Enjoyed this. Loved that off-hand beginning, "so we were in the moulin rouge/in 1890," written as if it were yesterday . . . maybe it was!

Russell Ragsdale said...

Hi Susan, I'm glad you enjoyed this. Actually I'll be in Paris on Monday (5 Nov). There is a Paris that is always with you, a Paris you had before and that is the place in this poem. There is a strange factor of time to be found in an old city like this. I love it!

Therese said...

Russell, really enjoyed your poem! My favorite part:
"the hotel lift
door opens on tomorrow
the day after
people walking
escalators down"

Love how the "door opens on tomorrow" - beautiful!

Thanks for sharing with us fellow ModPo'ers. :)

Elizabeth said...

I enjoyed this poem--I like your short lines and would like to take a close look at it...

Russell Ragsdale said...

Therese, thanks so much for your great comment. And thank you for shareing that you are writing poetry again!

Russell Ragsdale said...

Hi Elizabeth, I have been working on a spoken unit of meaning (on which we sort of base the written sentence) for almost a decade. I hope you will find a closer reading worth your effort as there is a lot packed in this poem to doesn't immediately meet the eye. Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed this poem.

poemworks said...

Russell, thank you for posting this poem. I enjoyed it very much, especially these lines:

the importance of being
in paris is
coming home
geraniums flower
in my window
who will water them

I have recently been in Paris and seen the balconies, camped along the Seine. Some close to me travel there every year and speak of it as you do here. With love and longing.

Russell Ragsdale said...

Thanks TietonChristians, For that comment. I am enjoying a lovely Parisian day right now!