21 Jul 2018

Images from Paris 2


June 29th 2018
The heat of Paris, the lightness of crossing a narrow-cobbled road sandwiched between two souvenir shops, where small, multicolored Eiffel towers hung in clusters and chimed in the warm breeze. A Parisienne girl cycles, long tanned legs, short brown hair, floaty red skirt, her lace bralette showing underneath her sheer white blouse, like a water color made by a French street artist.

Cities are people, each with a unique personality, each has something the other lacks. Paris is the quaint boulangerie, the baguettes, the ridiculously large green and pink meringues. Green meringues! The glittering Seine, the sweet-talking men, the gypsy beggar who sits near the market, a few coins inside an empty McDonald’s paper cup, her pet rabbit nibbling on a carrot.

The simple and wonderful pleasure of looking out my hotel window every morning and seeing, the little grocery down the street; ‘Bonjour, je peux acheter une peche s’il vous plait?’ and always the lovely ‘bien sur’ in response. Then the divine pleasure of tucking my teeth into the sweet, full, pink-orange flesh, the burst of flavor, the juice, the joy, in utter satisfaction, I nod; no this can’t be a mere peach, it’s definitely a peche. Language, words, things take different meaning, tastes, and feeling.