On the face of it

let’s admit

Paris is

dour

arrogant

stand offish

Oui Monsieur

young & old hesitate

step back afraid

of a handshake.

You smile madame?

“Sorry, no English,

je ne parle pas l’anglais”

Ah yes,

I quite forgot

your problem is

historic.

Never mind the

linguistically challenged

traveler aboard

Menton – Nice super fast

waiting to disembark

as stations whistle past.

The Romanian

 begging

along the sidewalk

Algerian – Tunisian

 nursing

a hare

grateful for sanctuary

Euro to spare.

Make no mistake

Paris

scintillates

clean air

drinking water

everything in perfect order

until the

Unions suddenly

strike, but why

why are there

cigarette butts

‘neath

the sky?

Youth & beauty

go hand in hand

along the Seine

lip locked

padlocked

sworn unto ……….

prised open

recalls

Café de Flore’s

Berthillon

‘lil doggies

neutered clones

streaked, powdered,

groomed, to match

mistresses

walking alone,

obediently in line

passing

each other

without a sigh

no bark nor cry

inside out

allowed

everywhere

salon, café, bar

as vexed as

mademoiselle’s brow,

with never a boo

boogie woogie do

for gawd’s sake

at least

clean up the poo.

The French nation has

a strange

fixation –

all things feline

hence

black cat Noir

prowls the night

alleys, – alone

sneak previews

Moulin Rouge.

Cat burglars

lurk

the streets

picking pockets

by the hour

shutting down

Eiffle Tower

You may well ask

the cause

for such fuss

malign

harking on

downsides,

honey you’ll agree

it is unexpected

quite unprecedented

a revelation indeed

for a first time

third world traveler

like me.

So

let’s just say

there never was

never will be

a city

like

gay Pari

But

one simply cannot

leave it at that.

I’d rather have

London instead

So

 London it shall be

3 cheers!

hurray!

give me London

any day.