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.

© khartless 2021, All Rights Reserved 

18 responses to “Creases in the Charm”

  1. 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 🙂

    Like

    1. Why thank you, John. Agreed. Many times I feel a poem of mine lacks a punchline. Sometimes, it never comes.

      Like

      1. 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 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  2. 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. 🙂

    Like

    1. 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.

      Like

      1. ❤️❤️

        Liked by 1 person

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

    Like

    1. 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.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I love Paris. My favourite City. Warts and all. 😊

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Ah, now that’s devotion. Hope to hear that same phrase about myself from a partner one day. 😂😂

        Liked by 1 person

      3. 😂 you would need some warts first!

        Like

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

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Well, without creases, you can’t have pretty pleats. 😉 I will also be visiting there in my dreams.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. 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.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. It’s all French now, friend. Tourism is close to zero there.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Oh, and where was hip enough for you visit regularly.

        Like

      4. Ah, well, hopefully you got to see some civilisation, too.

        Like

  5. Wonderfully done!

    Like

Leave a comment

Trending