Ah, Cathédrale de Notre Dame at dawn,
in fog, sepulcher white, barely formed,
the façade emerges from the mist
each statue takes his place above the arches
the flying buttresses hold high the nave
the solidity of the wooden doors.
a vast square with the lanterns unlit
even the birds rest silent in the cold
on the banks of the river Seine.
Ah, the nightclubs at dawn
soften the music
spill out their partiers
the liquor still on their tongues and breath
drunk, some shout at young couples
already speeding across Pont Neuf
on their vespas.
One last look at the ghostly church
then we go into the depths of the metro, St. Michael,
where the light then darkness
takes our anonymity into the tunnels
hacked into the depths of the earth
we are miners of the underground
hurrying from Cathédrale de Notre Dame
to destinations unforetold.
FEWalls December 21, 2007
A Long Perspective 