« If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast. »
– Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast (1964)
Its feet disgrounded from the soil
here is the herd coming down
frenzily rushing to
the daily needs of perfection
– here is a countless soul stuck in
the celebration of
voluntary unescaping.
Its pace unfaithful to its hearts
here is the mass looking forward
never again, just
enough to meet full emptiness
– here is a restless look let out
the city of cities
voluntarily seeking
its peace dismantled from its soul.
Here is another gaze it gives
to pink clouds above
towering – all cities the same
light. Here is a portion of Paris
a floating heart
voluntarily finding.
Peace.
* Here is to my Parisian friends and nostalgia. Bon 14 juillet! Ce poème pourra être traduit plus tard; il a été écrit en anglais pour le dVerse Poets Pub. Certains me diront que Paris n’est pas la France, je leur répondrai que Paris, c’est Paris. Même de New York City. *
Well this prompt is perfect for you ~ Love it specially the last stanza ~
http://a-sweetlust.blogspot.ca/2012/07/au-revoir.html
Hahaha thank you! I felt the same too – I HAD to write something today!
Wonderful sense of carrying a city in the heart. K.
Thank you! That’s exactly it.
nice…absolutely love the last 3 lines….i think there are certain cities that def capture a bit more of the imagination than others…i iamgine paris to be one…i know NYC is for me…really nice feel to your words…
Thank you! Yeah, NYC is definitely one of a kind too!
Yes, Paris is Paris. I spent a few months there before living in la Bretagne and le Jura…just like here in the US, each place is unique. I especially like how you took Hemingway’s work as a base to work from.
Thank you! And of course, living in a different country than one’s own is interesting in itself.
Nice, moveable peace on the feast. Thanks.
Thank YOU!
So beautiful, inviting… I especially like:
Here is a portion of Paris
a floating heart
voluntarily finding.
Peace.
Merci beaucoup!
very cool to start this with the hemingway quote…i love how cities influence us..paris for sure is one that inspired many artist, think there’s def. sth. special to it..so is to nyc and rome for me.. very cool how you captured this
Thank you! I think it’s interesting how places influence us, our feelings and writing. NYC will probably become an inspiration to me too… Never been to Rome… yet.
i can imagine this light =)
I’m glad to hear that!
« the city of cities
voluntarily seeking
its peace dismantled from its soul » –
captures the heart 😉
Thank you! I’m glad to hear that.
I’ve been re-reading A Moveable Feast this week, serendipitous. « peace dismantled from its soul » an esp. interesting line. Beautiful poem.
Serendipitous indeed! I should re-read it too I guess! Thank you.
Beautiful, the sense of entwining the spirit of a place with your being.
Thank you very much!