The Lights of Paris in Your Eyes

The lights of Paris in your eyes

tell stories of a life arcane.

The golden walls of Notre Dame

glimmer in the nightly Seine,

as sparks of curiosity

set your candid smile aflame.

The cobble stones of Rue Mouffetard

reflect neon lights of vibrant bars.

A second, or a thousand years—

I’ll never know just who you are.

Palm leaves dancing in a breeze

make moonlight flicker on your skin.

We’re forlorn, restless refugees,

on the first days of eternity.

The lights of Paris in your eyes—

eyes I’ll never see again.

(Paris & Munich, July 2018)