When I walk the streets of Paris
you won’t be beside me,
but you will be there.
And I will converse with you in
a terrible French accent to make
you laugh
A yellow rose,
the kind you loved best,
I will leave at the top of
the Eiffel Tower
Another, tossed into the Seine
to float downriver like a wish
now come true,
A bright and beautiful bloom
in the crepuscular evening
I will take pictures where your memory
will fill the empty spaces.
Your smile unseen, but felt.
In the bistro, I will flirt
with the waitress and ask her
if ‘oo-la-la’ is really a thing,
(and ask her to say it, even if it’s not)
I will visit the Louvre
and admire the
incomprehensible paintings
with indecipherable meanings
In the outdoor café
I will order two cups
of coffee, and
leave yours untouched.
And on the last night,
standing on the balcony,
listening to the melancholy melody
of an accordion
below in the courtyard,
I will toast us with a glass of red wine,
Celebrating the fact that we finally got here
And now,
we’ll always have Paris.