Autumn en Ile St. Louis

Autumn en Ile St. Louis

November Paris 1984
Early morning
Cold and wet rain
Rue des Deux Ponts
Ile St. Louis

A gray morning
Comme chaque autumn
Sur le Rue Des Deux Ponts
Kicking leaves into the gutter
Heading to the corner cafe
With my mistress' Scottie in tow
Angus
Sniff sniff sniff
For the scents of dogs.

Arrive at the Cafe Louis IX
Push the door open
Angus I enter.

Gitane smoke
Three workers a le bar
There
Chaque matin comme moi et Angus

On their third Calvados
A nod
A nod back.
Another nod to the barman.
Henri serves a cafe, croissant, et Calva.

Rain outside
Angus rests his head
On my boots
The floor smell of cigarette ash.
Tobacco and men.
Outside
Cold and wet
No hurry in none of us
Except Angus
Eager to press his nostrils
To the street
To treasure the bouquet of dogs.

Pas encore
A nod to Henri
Un'autre Calva
Si vous plait.
The three workers nod approval.
We have never spoken a word.
Just that nod.
We all believe in Sloth.
Especially with the autumn rain
Sweeping the Rue des Deux-Ponts
Paris
Autumn
1984
Une bonne matin
Le pluie
Angus and me
Ile St. Louis.