image borrowed from bing
Saturday’s Soiree
"America is my country
and Paris is my hometown."
--Gertrude Stein
Everybody got involved in
the
cooking
that
summer
in
1924
at
27
Rue de
Fleurus
where Stein held court,
Alice made the cucumber sandwiches,
Ezra baked bread,
Ernie broiled the tenderloins,
Fitz poured the cocktails,
Pablo whipped up the Spanish Salad,
Sal picked the dinner wines,
and Henri and Robert
argued loudly over picking desserts.
Glenn Buttkus
October 2012
Posted over on G-Man's Flash 55
Would you like to hear the author read this poem to you?
8 comments:
Since living in Paris for a time in 2011 I have been fascinated with the power that city holds. In the 19th century thinkers and artists gravitated there as told in David McCullough's The Greater Journey. Then in the 20th century Gertrude and friends made Paris their playground and studio. You have captured the mood very well. I love it.
Paul
I just read this notable quote:
McBride also made the observation that Gertrude "collected geniuses rather than masterpieces. She recognized them a long way off."
I think you well illustrated this point in your poem.
I feel like you're trying to make a statement with your creative visual presentation. I think that when you say "Everybody got involved in," you mean something like "Everybody was pulled into this endeavor without forethought, planning, purposeful intention, or complete awareness of what was going on." As if there was an outside force pulling them in, "getting them involved." An energy, if you will, pulling them all together. Your odd line break tells me this. And I'm wondering if you mean something other than typical "cooking." I'm thinking this might be some other sort of large-group soiree, with cooking, etc. as metaphor.
But I'm probably just overanalyzing. You're probably just collecting artists for lunch. :)
Oh wait, you're "drawing" the stairs going up to her studio! Or maybe you're just trying to make your poem look cool. I'd better go to bed. :P I think too much. Sorry.
Imagine the conversation! Wonderful and descriptive weave, Poet. I do dream of Paris...and you lend another element to my dream with this piece...fantastic!
What a wonderful ambience you have created with such few words, Glenn.
I've twice spent time in Paris and admit to being a closet Francophile; so this poem invited me to dinner and entertained all the senses as the fat on the tenderloins sizzled and browned, the wine opened up after an hour of great conversation. Oh! I now feel like I've thrice spent time in Paris. ;-)
I wish I could've been there! What a dinner party. Love the Stein quote. She apparently advised that if you only have a bit of money, spend it on art. I love that way of thinking.
Sounds so much like a party!!! I do enjoy your narrative 55! Mine is here
Have you a ROCKING AND BLESSED WEEKEND!!!
hugs
shakira
Americans in Paris, how very French!
Votre Soiree est tres Bien!
J'Adore votre Cinquante-Cinq
Merci for playing, and have a Kick Ass Week...:-)
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