Monday, October 22, 2007

American Loire Song

[inspired by the prompt at Totally Optional Prompts. The short poem offered as the prompt inspired me to write this poem about a memory. I wanted to post it much sooner, but I've been out of Internet range since early Thursday morning.]



American Loire Song


Young musicians far from home,

we explored the streets of Orleans

that mild summer evening.


Our wanderings took us

along a city-caged river in a small stone canyon,

past shops closed for the day,

roads nearly empty at the end of the day.


In the neighborhood of our hotel

floated the silk voice of a saxophone,

singing above and through the dusk.


It sang smooth and slow,

mellow and warm, with nothing to prove,

and it sang a smile into my heart.

7 comments:

Andy Sewina said...

Saxaphone memories, you can't beat them.

sister AE said...

Hi, aka danny - I've got a real soft spot for just that sound.

Anonymous said...

I really like the picture you paint here.

crimsonflaw said...

its beautiful, the melancholic ending in a smile.

i loved the line with ´´ nothing to prove ´´. and the way you used the past tense here...

sister AE said...

Thanks, J.

Hello, crimsonflaw, and thanks. You know, I never considered anything but past tense since it is based on a memory of a real event. I may have to play with what it would feel like in a different tense, just for fun.

Christine Swint said...

You create a scene of youth and adventure. Your poem brings me back to my traveling days, and stirs my wanderlust.

sister AE said...

Thanks, Mariacristina. If my calculations are correct, I was 17 at the time of the memory this is based on. I'm glad I conveyed some of that.