Sunday, 15 July 2012

France and all things French


For Manicddaily's Poetics : a French Twist at dVerse Poets.


Idiosyncratic images
have always formed
my effigies of France and all things French,
my private iconography:
Brie and Balzac by The Eiffel Tower.
Lovely jubbly - which reminds,
soon hopefully to be
Champagne and Claret in the Champs Elysées
when Wiggins - or when Froome -
have won the Tour de France,
the greatest sporting conquest
that the world has ever seen
by many an Alpine climb.

It was not alway so...
all those years of thinking we'd done well
just having someone IN the thing!

But even in my bike race days
it was not always so for me:
French Art was tops.
France was my Bohemian,
the child who didn't take to rules
and didn't fear the rod.
Macon in Montmartre would have been the job.
And after that it would have been
French kissing followed by French letters.
These are the images of France
that have made my juices run.
at

21 comments:

  1. Claudia15 July 2012 at 09:27

    so you did bike racing..? very cool.. there are some things french that make my juices run as well and french kissing is surely one of it..smiles..most of all i admire their independent spirit i think and their sense of belonging

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jenny Woolf15 July 2012 at 10:53

    I love being on the bike but I don't like racing. It stops me noticing what's around me if I am competitive. That is entirely apart from the fact that I have always been the slowest thing around.
    "Effigies" - an interesting choice of word. Made me realise that to me it always has slightly negative connotations although actually there is no reason it should.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous15 July 2012 at 11:24

    Lots of french twists here :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Brian Miller15 July 2012 at 11:54

    France was my Bohemian,
    the child who didn't take to rules
    and didn't fear the rod...nice...i rather like the attitude in that...and french kissing has been known to get my juices flowing...smiles....

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous15 July 2012 at 12:13

    One's tastes change with age like wine - you've caught that here! k.

    ReplyDelete
  6. David Francis Barker15 July 2012 at 12:33

    Fabulous take David, I love this. And I agree, I am a non too secret admirer of the French and their idiosyncrasies. They need to be different in a world dominated by the English language.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lydia15 July 2012 at 12:38

    Your poem was like a bike tour through your mental images of France. Very alive; I felt/saw them all.

    ReplyDelete
  8. A Cuban In London15 July 2012 at 13:16

    I'm glad you acknowledged the Bohemian in French culture. That was my introduction to it. And one of the reason that led me to lern the language. Beautiful poem that avoids the usual cliches of baguettes and berets. :-)

    Greetings from London.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Laurie Kolp15 July 2012 at 13:47

    I can honestly say ditto to all the above.

    ReplyDelete
  10. kaykuala15 July 2012 at 13:52

    Dave,
    Is it given willingly, all French (fries,kissing,leave,loaf,letters). Ok by me as we are all the richer language-wise. Very detailed French take!

    Hank

    ReplyDelete
  11. Strummed Words15 July 2012 at 15:29

    A lot of interesting memories! The Brie and the bubbly intrigue me the most.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Unknown15 July 2012 at 16:57

    I admire your love of bike racing, the Tour being for which the French should indeed be admired, especially since Americans have won it so many times! :) I lean more towards the artists early on, though recently the love of France by the American Founders gains my respect. Great stuff, as usual, Dave!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Tommaso Gervasutti15 July 2012 at 19:06

    I feel very close to the whole atmosphere of this poem, what struck me in particular is the expression "lovely jubbly": I see it written for the first time after having heard it thousand times by Dadid Jason ( Del Boy) in the absolutely mythcal Only Fools And Horses.
    Buying a further VHS in the 90's of that series was one of my favourite treats coming back from England or Ireland.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Carl15 July 2012 at 19:22

    Very Cool. I enjoyed your slant on France.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Leovi15 July 2012 at 22:49

    Magnificent poem!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Mary15 July 2012 at 23:34

    Hi Dave...If you were a child who didn't take to rules, this strikes me as very French. I think French make their own rules or follow their own rules.

    A short tale for you. I had a French penfriend. I visited her for a week in Grenoble. At another time she came to the US to visit me. In France they do not tip. In America they DO tip. As a 'thank you' for her visit (and staying with me, etc) she wanted to take me out to a restaurant to dinner. The bill came. She was going to leave the EXACT amount. I informed her of the necessity of leaving a tip, adding on some dollars. She absolutely refused!! Stated in France they do NOT tip. I ended up giving money for the tip, as the service was good and it would have been rude to allow just the price of the check to be paid. She had no guilt whatsoever. I think if one wants to do things the French way one should stay in France. I thin we all need to adapt to the customs of the country we visit. I guess I will just say it -- I don't think this is easy for the French. I ramble here, I know. All because of thinking of 'French rules.'

    ReplyDelete
  17. ds16 July 2012 at 05:25

    Ha--great twists here! Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Madeleine Begun Kane16 July 2012 at 08:28

    Beautifully done! I really enjoyed it.

    ReplyDelete
  19. haricot16 July 2012 at 10:11

    My imaginations fly to France through your lines. They are concrete images though I remember the " existentialism " that flourished in the quartier of Montmartre.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Dave King16 July 2012 at 11:30

    Claudia
    I sure agree with you on the last two points. Like our respective languages, it's impossible to disentangle ourselves now.

    Jenny
    I did a lot of leisurely touring as well! (More of that.) I agree with you about "effigies". I chose it for its euphony, but looked hard for an alternative before I let it pass.

    Polly
    Hi there, great to have your company. You are very welcome. Thank you so much for the comment.

    Brian
    I like it that you chose that section. Thanks.

    manicddaily
    They do indeed. I'm definitely not the person I was!

    David
    Yes, agreed. I think the language is a big part of our sometimes niggling relationship.
    Thank you for your visit and your comment. Great to have you aboard.

    Lydia
    Thank you for your very kind comment. Much appreciated.

    A Cuban in London
    Thanks so much. Good to know that you thought this.

    Laurie
    Thank you. This means a lot to me.

    Hank
    Agree absolutely with the language remark. Thanks for.

    Strummed words
    Ah, great times...if only!

    Charles
    Yes, nothing here with which I'd disagree. Thanks for the observations.

    Tommaso
    Spot on. It is a direct quote from Del Boy! It wasn't intended, but suggested itslef as I typed, and had the advantage that it suggested "bubbly".

    Carl
    Thanks Carl. Good to know.

    Leovi
    Many thanks for this. Much valued.

    Mary
    Thanks Mary. I have a friend who's a bit like that. I enjoyed your story and agree with your summing up. Absolutely, I do.

    ds
    Thanks. Much appreciated.

    Madeleine
    Good to know. Much thanks.

    haricot
    Yes, indeed. I suppose that's where I came in!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous17 July 2012 at 15:47

    A wonderful list, for me it is cinema and philosophy but so many other things. Sorry I am so late in my visit as life tore me away for a few days.

    ReplyDelete