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