sync2swim

good to give chef a break
so dinner at caffe dei cioppi we rake
first course to titillate

buffalo mozzarella salad and lardo di colonnata on polenta to rate

followed by linguine palourdes et papillote of lotte

we have to thank for alot

finish with fromage followed with sbrisolona

an almond crumble with mascarpone and expresso, ooo-la-la

sing it jean claude pascal…

nous les amoureux
le soleil brille pour nous
et l’on dort sur les genoux du Bon Dieu
nous les amoureux
Il nous a donner le droit
au bonheur et la joie d’être deux

an 8k walk we took
our muscles to spook
from pontoise to auvers-sur-oise along its river
what’s good for the heart is good for the liver

but absinthe did not make van gogh’s heart fonder
nor did dr gachet rid his depression, it was too profonder
starry starry thoughts my mind did ponder
fragile is the line between here and yonder

gonna lay down my sword and shield
down by the riverside
ain’t gonna study war no more

since we are in the city of light
we decided to zig-zag walk the ponts last night
starting from concorde point
to pont neuf, an exercise of the joint

breathtaking sunset greeted us at the square, a welcome glare
nature’s gift we snare and share
pixel moments to spare

pont concorde, leopold, royal, carrousel, des arts, ending with oldest pont neuf 
lighted notre dame and eiffel delighted our aperture nerve

inseine moment to thee serve…

bite sharper cutting through bark
creates such smacking smuck

humility to tuck
tantalizing nourishment to suck
couteau mots to duck
prayerful preservation cluck

my interest peaked
with theatre antoine flyer picked
jacques offenbach‘s opéra-bouffe seemed a raving kick
so we got tix via online nick of tick

my daily operetta parisienne
is to open my eyes with no cockadoodle refrain
pick just one thing to do till next snooze
and doing nothing is a-ok booze

doing nothing
is noodling,
oogling, concocting
connecting
creating something from nothing

then waiting
and choosing
bounce from inertia
to exert sheer
pause for cause
rolling stone gathers no moss

accumulate and toss
who’s boss?

spring releases
to be re-ironed nostalgic creases
found in brocante encounters
and display counters

why do we amass stuff?
why are we valued only after we had enough of life’s gruff?

pixels from auvers-sur-oise

pay 82.5 million usd for van gogh’s gachet portrait
gotta have that botox lips, covet that mightier-than-thou trait

why do we fill ourselves with fluff
when is enough, enuff?
every corner bombardment galore
buy-buy, bye-bye money implore

global liquidity crisis and senseless wars
greece, brazil, hungary going hungry, legislate goldman-sachs mores

iceland investors melted with subprime weed
iceland blows up, eyjafjall ajokull stalls jet speed

time to regain gold lustre, level have and have-not
time for kinder egalitarian ethos renaissance, worldly woes  to blot

what shall we next explore
soon pantry is bare, nothing in store

revive values past
for us to last
trust to lust
we must

with wisdom gust

no matter lower or upper crust
it’s genesis 3:19 dust to dust

a montage
of colorful collage

a choral of floral

patterns architectural

patterns aquatic

patterns fun and eclectic

mother to mother
special bond and rudder
daughter to daughter
cyclic karmic perfume lather

a mother chanting prayers dream jolt
mentioned to aud when off to portabello we bolt

first validation
buddha wall mural caught my attention

i talked about my 3 siblings and #1 bro cow

lo and behold, among pixels taken which raised brow
then as we turned the corner
fatherly bombard of “allsaints”singers zinger

we joked it be serenpiditious if mother shows up

sure enough a buddha sandwich between 88 and alice’s cherubs

yep
thanks for the validations incroyable

despite iceland ash
we went ahead with our london bash
a paris-nord to-st pancras eurostar dash

to meet up with dear friends
on golden pond late sixties strands

two and half days catching up
over many a fine meal we sup

best quack and roast oink at 4 seasons
memory lane serves good reasons

tapas   dining
was silver lining

waterway eats


complimented by little venice scenic feats

steak and onion pie, a lamb rack taste of britain
hereford sweetbreads and calf liver satisfied our chieftain

to round out   je t’aime londres stay
breakfast stop at raoul’s with eggs benedict play

years come, years go
forget-us-not the times gold
seeds planted long ago
different paths intersect and unfold

the strands were tied
we laughed, we cried
we ballet-sprang, we sang, we danced
we dared, we cared, we pranced

gardenia and apple class
we ran red house grass
we crooned love blue
sprayed pony-imm-mothers’ glue

years went
moments spent
thank you for spring twenty-ten
let’s never lose our friendship tan

forget-us-not
we’re a good lot

at buttes montmartre
frederic baron’s “le mur des je t’aime” rendered inspiring spark

a tiled wall of 311 written “i-love-you” in 250 lingos park
got me pondering on the meaning of “love” mark

what do we mean by love?
is that a feeling of being needed and be thrown off the curve
but when it crashes, falling short of expectation, therefore best to swerve?
or is it something to unconditionally give and serve?

to whom and how is love displayed
or “there is no love, there is only proof of love” french poet jean cocteau said
a mother’s love, puppy love, romeo-juliet love, compassion for a stranger
when deprived of receiving and giving love, we become one lost lone ranger
per moliere, “et vivre sans aimer n’est pas proprement vivre”
ie “to live without love is not to properly live”

what’s love, where is love?
does it fall from skies above?
how do u know, how long can u stay on its turf?
to gary chapman, there’re 5 languages of love nerve

words of gratitude and affirmation
quality time manifestation
receiving gifts
acts of service uplifts
physical touch communication

plato’s love quote is my favorite
at the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet

there’s john 3:16 God’s love     paul’s 1 corinthians:13 love attributes
if i speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love,
i am…………………… only    a resounding gong      or      a clanging cymbal.
if i have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,
and                                  if i have a faith that can move mountains,
but have not love, i am nothing.  if i give all i possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,
but have not love, i  gain  nothing……………………………………………………..
(shots from st eustache)            love is patient,
love is kind. it does not envy,   it does not boast, it is not proud.
it’s not rude, not self-seeking, it’s not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.   love does not delight in evil
but rejoices with the truth.
it always –   protects, trusts,   hopes, perseveres.
love never fails.      but where   there are prophecies, they will cease;
where there are tongues,           they will be stilled;
where there is knowledge,         it will pass away.
for we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
when i was a child, i talked like a child, i thought like a child, i reasoned like a child.
when i became a man, i put childish ways behind me. now we see
but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.
now i know in part; then i shall know fully, even as i am fully known.
and now these three remain: faith, hope and love. but………………………..

the greatest of these is love.

from maybe to wakeup call yes
gorgeous day, let’s make 5k hay, get dressed

ran into runners on daumesnil caused us to digress
whoops, we’re gonna be late, our legs to harass

got to anvers in nick of time
jacqueline revved group of 15 montmartre to climb
up and down and sidewalks we took
hidden bohemian gems to hook

after bohemian wandering
la vie de bohème reflecting
i flew away momentarily from taipan’s sight
now soaking in moulin rouge flight

one day I’ll fly away
leave all this to yesterday
why live life from dream to dream?
and dread the day when dreaming ends…

ride on twenty-four
“the other writers group” at shakespeare&company to explore

arretez at quai de montebello
sync stroll to saturday seine bustle cello

get into groove
just below bookstore roof
over 30 souls beating in song

share your prose or poem, there is no right or wrong
only for 2 hours, like minds long and belong

diary of au pair in despair
disappointing kodak click heart tear
disillusioned dad driven to detect paper thief
a deprived daughter bonding relief
reading on cocks
characters anonymous rocks
moderator bruce’s “good bone structure” mocks last seconds of frocks

we have 5 minutes to wrap up
for last read, i picked last to sup

what’s a life?

we came from no where and now here
then we disappear

so many permutations, expectations
vexations punctuated by elations

it’s up to each of us to author our life story
be it gory glory
to choose or snooze
pick our noose
or hang loose
decide what pace and place to cruise
how to heal life’s bruise

this much i know you reap what you sow
what and how you think become your glow
from inside out becomes the show

one life to live
what will you take, what will you give
what tapestry will you weave
in the time allotted, whether long or brief

it helps to have a spiritual compass
to paint your life canvas
find your authentic self to nurse
then immerse

free your nib
let it rip

scribe your verse

in mood for moody blues
as i scribe these hues
isn’t life strange
a turn of the page
can read like before
can we ask for more?
each day passes by
how hard man will try?

the seine will not wait

fuzzy meandering
chance surrendering
yields pleasure rendering

a labyrinth of covered passages
splendid mini-mall pages

first surprise
was galerie vivienne prize

to galerie colbert we wandered next
more architectural than commercial context

passage panoramas was long and diversified

then jouffroy&verdeau, le cochon couplet took flight

walk the talk
before we knew it, we walked into palais royal block

and heading home we walked past the lourve
down to place collette   metro groove
to ready dinner with cecilia, our butts to move

yesterday’s agenda to go
was to attend monthly “cafe philo”
at st. germain-des-pres cafe de flore, premier etage
across les deux magots, for a head massage

a crowd of some 40 people bantered on voted topic to provoke in-seine-nity
for 2 hours, we pontificated if study of humanities humanizes humanity

some themes that emerged
the futility of humanities knowledge submerged
if not actioned to make humans better
like nazi’s who kill during the day and listen to chopin at night, obviously humanities didn’t matter

humans are capable of being “madeleine-elephantized,” doing evil and good
no matter which society class you stood
the educated ones can be uncivilized and crude
the simpletons can be more humane without humanities to brood
methinks nature-nurture is at work
we are born with innate good conscience but nurture shapes our values quirk

we can propound aristotle, science is an art, and rudolf steiner what’s-humanities-worth
methinks a mind is a beautiful thing to waste if wrongly pavlov’d
socrates found hemlock his eternal mirth

einstein spotted on rue seine

so, how do you want your vision framed?

a yellow deux cheveaux sighting
traversed us back in time of our days in grenoble such a gem a-wanting

an ovaltine version spotted at brocante lundi
traversed us back in time of our days back in penang, without clue of future together a-synchronizing

fast forward back to the now
a smart car   in marais over lunch, raised my brow
reminded me of the sony ericsson handphone, my son handed me down
reminded me of 20th anniversary how we smart-ly putted on santorini ground

chinois on velotriggered how youth got me around

yesterday blue skies beckoned us
a visit to montmartre to celebrate sun burst

from line 8 to line 12
stop at abbesses, climb 
but 7 flights
of stairs of muscle agony hell  
o how clever the french to incent, these pixels sell

les kwans in the dell, hey ho derry o
a groaning pell mell 

finally 7th heaven, but wait  more you said?

thou shalt be rewarded in due time, a heavenly bait awaits

at surcouf, spotted french bart

at the neighborhood, found van art

keep on trucking
trouble and evil a-duckin’

how we live
makes a diff

a nice little dive
keeps us more than alive

man shall not live on bread alone
a cheesy life to atone

align thyself, unshackle from being a drone

color your world
with life offerings bold

hit it chicago...
as time goes on, i realize
just what you mean to me.
and now, now that you're near,
promise your love that i've waited to share
and dreams of our moments together.

color my world with hopes of loving you...

His promises to renew and seal
taipan made a deal
to prepare special meal
with zeal

start with salad with apple slices
mingle and toss in balsamic vinaigrette and spices
accompanied with algerian “roti prata” splices

then serve primo of gnocchi polpette
dunk deadly chili “chabai-burung” for sauce glee

enter sacrificial lamb reminder for main course
accompanied with aubergine farci and haricots vertes with fried onion sprinkle toss
and algerian dessert bread crisped up and resurrected deserved heavenly applause

easter sunday stroll
free museum entry to troll
pick a french artist to dote
to marmottan monet, on line 9 she rode

stroll down chausee de la muette
see what my lens can get
easter sun is out, i’m all set
expectations more than met

after saturating with monet and morisot impressions
i walked backwards and spotted looming eiffel extensions
to avenue de new york via rue passy i meandered
an unplanned bonus shot of eiffel easter rendered  
kept going till trocadero appeared
for full view of eiffel revered

do not balk
at rewards of walk-the-talk

day before easter, an impromptu outing trot to troyes (pronounced as french 3 trois)
1.5 hour train ride to champagne region je croire
a ville ancienne to wander with paris walking meetup group
going back in time to recoup

eglise st madelaine and st urbain were viewed
troyes is indeed charming of old and new

a sustainability event in the square championing energy conservation cue

then backup to good friday walk
a lot of ground we chalked

these are highlight shots captured
in our walking rapture

walking the talk
round the clock
to take stock
unclog mental block

a walk to the marais
got me nostalgic hooray

my father, he was a tailor
sews pretty outfits to receive love favor
i remember sewing needle
that went thru my index finger when his machine with treadle i meddled
i remember going to sleep with sony radio, listening to song dedications
radio days eliciting sweet, innocent heart palpitations

i remember moi, with my legs dangling thru railings in pulau tikus
watching the world go by, deep in dreams and imaginations mousse

this candy wrappers bag accessory
costs 265 euros, a pretty penny
i remember me weaving a similar bag out of colorful drinking straws
yea, maybe amateurish handicraft that didn’t draw awes
but this display causes pause of the extravagant cause