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our poet laureate |
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| They cried, “A trip to Paris? You’re in Seine!” |
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Ever since
the Iraq-UN furors, Our travelers are staying home in droves To boycott France and keep from spending euros. McDonald’s on the Seine must cater to the Frenchmen, while American Express is edgy, squeezing every dollar in its bureaus. |
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Ever since
our “freedom fries” and “freedom toast” (And students giving girlfriends “freedom kisses” too), Our standing with the French is politically prickly. US tourists underneath the “Tricolore” are rare as gum in Notre Dame, And visitors are speaking every language but American. Our relations: sickly. |
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I came, and
yet found not a conflict there, Not when I wore a D-Day GI helmet (’44!) ’most everywhere. With entourage of sandbags, bedded down in timeless Paris, I found resolution sleeping, in a timely dream: That Bush-Chirac would duke it out in 15 rounds in boxing gloves, And leave the rest of us to choose our dream and team and theme. |
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---By Paul Hertelendy |
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©2003 by Paul Hertelendy. The illustrations ares from IMSI's Master Clips Collection, 1895 Francisco Blvd. E., San Rafael, CA, 94901-5506, USA.
Paul Hertelendy says he hikes the High Sierra, eats crackers for breakfast, doesn't know a
handiron from a nine iron, and speaks baguette-et-brie French. He's also a critic with the San Francisco Bay Area arts website www.artssf.com
To visit his website, click here: PAUL
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