Imagining Love in Paris
Robin Michel
Je’taime de plus en plus, I say self-consciously with a sideways glance not unlike the flirtatious look a sophisticated Parisian wearing a black beret might give a man. If only my giddy hands could remain still upon the outdoor café’s table. But alas, mon cheri! I am an American woman on her first transatlantic flight, stepping onto French soil for la première fois, and my excited hands dance can-cans in the bright blue swirling air kicking up billowing skirt-flounce clouds, as if sketched by Toulouse Lautrec’s angel self. Here in Paris, I chirp, call me by my middle name Larue. You reply, Here in Paris, call me Canadian. We laugh and you kiss my hand. Love tickles our noses like champagne and we exchange our first international kiss. Beneath the cobbled stones, centuries of history and myth gush up higher than the Eiffel Tower. Vous et moi êtes toujours dans l’amour.
About the Author
Robin Michel’s writing has recently appeared in Comstock Review, The MacGuffin, San Pedro River Review, South 85, Willawaw Journal, and elsewhere. She lives in northern California and provides communications services to the Sonoma County Junior College District. Robin is editor of How to Begin: Poems, Prompts, Tips, and Writing Exercises from the Fresh Ink Poetry Collective—to improve your poetry practice or start a group of your own (Raven & Wren Press, 2020).