This is an ode to Paris, which I’ve been inspired to share by the 2024 Summer Olympics. Seeing Paris on TV nightly, I can hear her calling to me to return. I’ve been there many times for work and have spent glorious times in the evenings and on weekends wandering the streets, just taking it all in. I’ve also had some wonderful vacations there with loved ones. But this post is about my nomad experiences, and was written mostly at the airport a few years ago, when I was waiting for my plane home but already missing that magnificent city.
Nomad in Paris
Ah, Paris.
I stared out the windows of the taxi
speeding through the misty Paris dawn
toward Charles de Gaulle airport
drinking in tree-lined streets
19th century buildings standing shoulder-to-shoulder
with neon-bedecked cafes and nightclubs
street-sweeping machines
erasing the evidence of last night's revelry
occasional couples walking languidly
toward whatever the new day would hold
how many times have I done this
longed to get home
at the end of a trip
only to miss Paris before I'm even gone?
is it possible for a whole city
to get under your skin -
in your bones, even?
do I love Paris
or is it that I love who I am
when alone in Paris
a nomad wandering the streets
in the evenings after work
absorbing the culture
watching the people
savoring the smells
savory crepes produced with flair
by a street vendor
irresistible aromas of garlic
sausage or jambon iberica
the perfume of flowers, chocolate and cheese
wafting from the artisan shops
on the Rue des Martyrs
acrid exhaust fumes from motorcycles
zigzagging dangerously through traffic
musty antique wood accompanied by dust motes
sparkling in museums' dim lighting
yeasty aroma of fresh-baked baguettes
with their alluring crusts
the damp of the Seine
smelling slightly of the sea
Ah, Paris.
alone in cafes
surrounded by people
I watch and imagine the narrative of their lives
voices carry in a lilting language I don’t understand
still convey meaning
a soundtrack punctuated by clinking glasses
impatient car horns from scary-busy streets
and occasional sirens
outside, music is everywhere
and sometimes even dancers
vignettes unfold like movie shorts
surrounding me with unfinished stories
that I want to follow to their conclusions
Ah, Paris.
you sweep majestically
into hearts like mine
your exuberant personality
commanding adoration and attention
ensuring a permanent spot
in technicolor
with a quicksilver soundtrack
I hear you calling
promising more adventure
more only-in-Paris
sights and sounds
and smells and stories
and food
and memories
and inspiration
Ah, Paris.
Join Me for a Visual
A small selection of my photo-snapping while nomad…
© 2024, Glover Gardens
Kim, was splendid journey in both reverse and visuals. I am very jealous as I have never been to the city of life, but it is one of the three cities I have earned to see in my life, but I have never. Paris, Barcelona, and London. I’m just a yank who has been all over this country of mine, but other than Mexico and Canada I’ve never traveled beyond the borders of the USA very far. Thank you for sharing this wonderful journey. It was a pleasure to experience. I let myself drift into the words and pictures, and in those moments, I had a ‘sense’ of Paris. Thank you very much Kim! Wonderful writing and photography!! 👍🏼🙂✌🏼♥️
Ah, Paris indeed. Your poem is wonderful. I yearn to return to Paris too. ❤️
It never stops calling to us, does it?
mais, non 💙