Creases in the Charm

Poetry

Creases in the Charm

Katie Frances Hartless

France, memory, summer, travels

Woven wood flair
two-tone rattan chairs
of cafe in open air
petit le plat, grand la note,
creases in the charm.

Brown tower ballgown
sparkling night flower
metal mimi
a windy sway
creases her charm.

Underground train
avoid frequent rains
pick-pockets midday
quick fingers
crease the charm.

Galleries of glass
boulangerie brass
cobbler and antiques
treasures cher
crease the charm.

Smoky Seine
full-bodied wine
palm tree fronds
teenager’s playground
creased by the charm.

Montemarte
cold white heart
artists paint in pain
their poverty
creases the charm.

18 responses to “Creases in the Charm”

johnlmalone

love the structure of this, the array of imagery and that refrain: ‘creases in the charm’; if you got a good refrain, you’re halfway there 🙂

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1. K.Hartless
  
  Why thank you, John. Agreed. Many times I feel a poem of mine lacks a punchline. Sometimes, it never comes.
  
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  1. johnlmalone
    
    punchlines are tricky, even comedians get them wrong: Bob Hope had the best system: he always laughed at the end of one of his jokes so the audience would know the punchline had arrived 🙂
    
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abigfatcanofworms

Very cool!! Are you there? It seems impossible… travel, where we’re at in Australia. I have had another nostalgic morning going through old stuff and your poem seems like another layer in the strata cliffs of memory. 🙂

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1. K.Hartless
  
  Hi Worms, I was there this past July. Already feels far away, but I enjoyed taking in a city I had dreamed of since childhood. Would like to return and relish the art more closely.
  
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  1. abigfatcanofworms
    
    ❤️❤️
    
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Hobbo

I love that concept of creasing the charm. Not totally spoiling it, but just taking the shine off a little. Very clever.

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1. K.Hartless
  
  Thanks, Hobbo. The magic was not rubbed out by the creases, and in a way, the grittiness of the reality of Paris vs. the fantasy of the city added to its charm for me.
  
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  1. Hobbo
    
    I love Paris. My favourite City. Warts and all. 😊
    
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  2. K.Hartless
    
    Ah, now that’s devotion. Hope to hear that same phrase about myself from a partner one day. 😂😂
    
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  3. Hobbo
    
    😂 you would need some warts first!
    
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Mister Bump UK

It’s a pity you found some creases, it’s a place I keep returning to in my dreams.

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1. K.Hartless
  
  Well, without creases, you can’t have pretty pleats. 😉 I will also be visiting there in my dreams.
  
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  1. Mister Bump UK
    
    It’s a shame, really, because a lot of the places you mention, I only visited once, in my very early visits. By the time I went over regularly, I wouldn’t have been seen dead at the Eiffel Tower or Montmartre.
    
    Montmartre had good night life, though. After dark, the area becomes French once again.
    
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  2. K.Hartless
    
    It’s all French now, friend. Tourism is close to zero there.
    
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  3. K.Hartless
    
    Oh, and where was hip enough for you visit regularly.
    
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  4. Mister Bump UK
    
    Ah, well, hopefully you got to see some civilisation, too.
    
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tiffanyarpdaleo

Wonderfully done!

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