paris on a perfect day, alone with the man i love -

YES, TIM, YOU ARE HERE:


mid-july in paris,
the winds turning the trees silver on the banks of the seine,
we arrived at the ile st. louis in the early afternoon,
with enough time to wander the deux iles, a bit of the left bank,
and realize that after six years . . .
we were finally back in paris!



the facade of notre dame had been fully cleaned since our last trip,
and she glowed with that perfect pale shine of this limestone city.


the bridges over the river still seemed like etchings, not quite real,
yet made of stone.

the streets were still lined with patisseries and boulangeries
and florists, some dedicated to only one kind of bloom:


there was proof everywhere that we had left parts of ourselves in this city:


and only when settled into a cafe,
waiting for the classic food to arrive
(no touristy places for us this trip. only side streets and local places.)
was it real.


the air was native.
we felt (for perhaps the first time in years)
peace.