yesterday an evening stroll down rue du faubourg st. antoine took us to the bastille
it was forboding, the air was still

storm in bastille
dark clouds hovering
like life problems cornering
add a dash of lightning and thunder drama
followed by outburst of liquefied karma
depending where u are in storm’s path
run helter-skelter for shelter or get drenched in nature’s bath

storming of bastille
when have not’s have nothing to lose
charge full force towards liberté-equalité-fraternité ruse
catch the have’s in the snooze
a plebian victoire boost

storm out of bastille
carpe diem to catch silver lining amidst downpour
my lens made memory score

let’s get out of here
away from guillotine fear
there’s always an out of a storm, my dear…
from trouble, steer clear
or convert to cheer

on palm sunday
we headed for
to l’église américaine via route 63
to worship the One that set us free

thereafter we steered to rue cler
another pedestrian market lair

we stopped here for our grub fare

to supplement our nearby market , variety to spare
fill our tummy bare…
but only our good Shepherd can fill us with spiritual care

it’s truly a blessing
to have gourmand caressing

for breakfast, rillettes and st. marcellin get served 

for lunch, duck noodles  soup elicited mirth

for dinner, we get cuchon from market around the curve

donc – one makes poetry food
the other makes food poetry smacking good…

incroyable sights
market delights
at 18e in montmartre
brighten up day with colors smart

incroyable sighting
wedding, santa, homeless dogs, cat, lion, horse lighting

uni, coral shucking

food array sets tastebuds tingling

i see trees of green, red roses too

i see them bloom for me and you
and i think to myself what a wonderful world…

yep
vraiment incroyable

while taipan batted balls at a sports center in 13e
how shall i soak up my time, what to discover and see

a walk down tolbiac captured these sights
fish eyes and infusion delights

came upon rue de patay to celebrate victory of joan of arc at battle of patay
ending up with église notre-dame-de-la-gare, coming from backdoor way
here’s wiki   coming from rue jeanne d’arc entrée

je pense c’est jeanne dans le chapelle 
other gems found     tears well,
an easter reminder  dwell

time2kill time2seal
check out bibliothèque-médiathèque jean-pierre melville
ah, my Creator knows my inner wiring zeal
He led me to more gems, what a deal

soon ed was done
we ventured to palace d’asie for gastronomique fun

c’est vrai
a joie hurray

if u happen2be
in c1 terminal at iad
the pot at the end of rainbow gate
is potbelly restaurant, your belly to satiate
we had “the wreck” sandwich of ham, pickles and swiss cheese
to sweeten the pot, try their choc chip cookie ice-cream tease

saw “up in the air” literally up in the air
touched down cdg ontime without fanfare

rer b to get to final destination
once in apartment, start unpacking and organization
get connected to wireless and cnbc
then sync biorhythm in catching zzz’s

et voila, we’re ready to go the next day
here’s before setting out   , planning the play
this ed’s ad we saw on our way
to tang freres, basic food accoutrements to pay
get banh mi, nems and canard laqué to keep hunger at bay

a taipan chime
change of scenery needed, it’s about time
there are 14 metro lines, 5 rer abcde, 6 zones that u can navigo
hope is to tackle 20 arrondissements around blue seine flow

c’est la vie!

alors, nous sommes ici
mon pays et paris…

are we insane
or simply vain
to float our days down the seine?

this blog serves as twitter
our days here to litter

meanwhile my jet-lagged body to recharge first
before quenching thirst
zest to burst

thirst to know our favorite city better
to power writing my love letter

stick with this blog
for discoveries unclogged

at last the completing acrostic m for “mélange” category
to park fun potpourri

like this memory

taken from la promenade plantée

i love paris in the springtime…
o this is soooo sublime

sun is out
time to be up and about
easter refresh to route
renewal to tout

incroyable life while we have it to shout
j’amerais toujours le temps des cerises, sans doute

there’s a wonderful group in paris
that walks together to melt away body grease

to celebrate vernal equinox first day of spring
a walk through gardens is apropos zing

beginning at the place de la concorde
gavoting through the lovely jardins des tuileries, alors..

source: wiki

then flow with the seine
head toward the marais and onward to the bastille scene

then have a crush but no rush
at promenade plantee lush
finally rest reward at bois de vincennes plush

a 2-hour 10-12k walk
what a great way paris to stalk!

moving on to describe “s” of swim acrostic cat
“savoir-vivre” is about life to bat

par exemple today, i traded-off swim in water for weeding of land
now nursing aching muscles and thorn-bruised hand
life with pain
can be boon instead of bane

instead of pride knell
choose humility and gratitude well to dwell

food pixels and topics will grace this category space
culinary adventure-filled craze, our senses to amaze
food for thought to partake accompanied with drink
u are what u eat, u become what u think

so to celebrate st. pat’s day
here’s the spread array

for starters to go with irish beer

viet-french nems, cashews with spice mix, spicy thai kettle chips cheer

brie with caramelized onions smear

let’s save    fleetwood mac’s signature cab savignon dear…

appetizer wanton-shrimp-tofu skins-sprouts curry soup deal

next, corn beef-cabbage-colcannon and soda bread meal

then creme caramel our to seal

finish off with homemade limoncella and expresso with lemon peel

ce que tu manges, ce que tu es
alors, nous sommes quoi?

for the n category, i picked “nostalgie”
takes moi back to paris sojourn in newlywed glee

édouard et moi soaking in champs-élysées and folies-bergère
source wiki
oogling at fauchon’s gastronomique display, from foie gras to éclairs

like many semantics, associations and connotations
depending what’s influencing your perceptions
the mind is often muddled
what’s diff between happiness and joy, many are befuddled

let’s look at similarities first
to satisfy life’s thirst
both elusive it seems
less manufactured seams, more in dreams

here are some views of the diff
happiness and joy defined in a jiff

happiness is dependent upon circumstances
upon people, things, happenings and instances

joy on the other hand
stems from within, no matter what land
it’s not dependent upon people in your life
nor the possessions u accumulate and strive
unpegged at what’s happening in your life’s hive

according to a chinese proverb…
if u want happiness for an hour — take a nap
if u want happiness for a day — go fishing
if u want happiness for a month — get married (huh?)
if u want happiness for a year — inherit a fortune
if u want happiness for a lifetime — help someone else

the apostle paul understood
writing about joy while in prison, chained, alone in foreign city, he brewed this brood
flip to philippians chapter 3, verse 1 to relish, ponder and enjoy
whatever happens, dear brothers and sisters, may the Lord give you joy

joy is contentment at heart
a gift from God that enables believers to find hope and peace—even when life seemingly falls apart

yes, it’s true i find
in the stark realities, one can find joy encounters of a third kind
it’s all attitude at right altitude, in the heart and mind
what u think can land you in a treasure mine or blinding bind

somewhere over the rainbow
this i know

y’a d’la joie is a good tenet
sing it, charles trenet

y a d’la joie
bonjour bonjour les hirondelles
y a d’la joie
dans le ciel par dessus le toit
y a d’la joie
et du soleil dans les ruelles
y a d’la joie
partout y a d’la joie

la tour eiffel part en balade
comme une folle elle saute la seine à pieds joints
puis elle dit:“tant pis pour moi
si j’suis malade
j’m’ennuyais toute seule dans mon coin”
y a d’la joie
le percepteur met sa jaquette
plie boutique et dit d’un air très doux, très doux
“bien l’bonjour, pour aujourd’hui finie la quête
gardez tout, messieurs gardez tout”

here are other wisdom fare…..

according to yutang lin, 1895-1976, chinese writer and philologist
“the secret of contentment is knowing how to enjoy what you have,
and to be able to lose all desire for things beyond your reach”
joseph addison, (1672-1719, british essayist, poet, statesman) echoed same gist
a contented mind is the greatest blessing a man can enjoy in this world beach

a marcus annaeus seneca (bc 3-65 ad, roman philosopher, dramatist, statesman) blare
unhappy is the man, though he rule the world, who doesn’t consider himself supremely blessed-cared

thessalonians 5:16-18 admonishes one to be joyful always; pray continually;
give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus…to live liberally

galatians 5:22-23 has joy as a fruit of the spirit to flare
proverbs 15:23 a man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!, quelle flair

springtime in paris is joy i do declare
defy joy?
i never dare…

a year has flown by since i made first entry
it’s time to fill the pantry

supposed u struck gold playing life tetris
u got granted 2-months of living in paris…

a sane “seine” moment   

what would you do?
do u have a clue?
how will u spend it?
how will u see fit?

visit this blog for a potpourri of meanderings
s.y.n.c.s.w.i.m  recettes and renderings….

be careful what you wish
life’s a petri dish
could turn out devilish or heavenly delish