paris

woke at 7 for the 5 hour ride-share from angers to paris; rode with olivier and another girl, forgot her name, good looking, kind. tried to stay awake, but early hour and rain made it impossible, though i didnt sleep well; car afterall. reached le mans for one more passenger then three more hours to our drive. country side spread forever with patches of trees, early in their changes preparing to shed for winter; landscape like a quilt and a flock of birds burst out of a crop of corn; a pigeon pirched atop a dead sunflower, head bowed to autumn. sleep, awake, and doze, stretch my eyes, we're close to paris, slow for traffic due to rain which holds back as we pass through a tunnel - terrorist warning issued yesterday - expecting to see d'triumph, eiffel tower, paris, i see, a busy city, roundabout with statue center, metro entrance and bus stop. we pull in, get out , pay and i'm alone; backpack on, no clue where i am, walk. back and forth, no map, not lost, just dont know where i'm going. stop for kebab; wanted one since i got to france. filled tip top, go out aimless, stop for a map. waiting - CRASH - lady runs into pillar in center of intersection. well enough, we all continue. i get the map and locate myself, walk on; starting across a bridge, looking right, ah, nice; turn left, well hell! there it is! the eiffel tower standing rusted with wisdom, distinguished, watching me stare at it. c'est cool. keeping on between buildings, wandering still no direction, step into a caffe.

reached the eiffel tower, wow that thing is tall; sat on a bench bout an hour watching peace signs for pictures, people standing 20 feet from their subject a hundred yards from the monument, but there they are at the eiffel tower, and there's the family. Hakunahmattatah said the man gonna sucker me into a 'happiness' bracelet looped on my finger so to make it as we chit chat; he's from gambia near serbia and as he takes it off my finger begins to wrap it around my wrist i say no, no, its ok; but happiness, hakunahmattatah he tells me; no give it to someone else and he knows i know, pats my shoulder with a wink, ok, and goes. i sketch. a man walks past close to me, mumbles something incoherent; i keep to my rendering and he returns after while with champagne and red wine; sits down. champagne? he offers; no thanks; wine? no, merci, i'm fine. where are you from? he asks. texas, england, no, australia, no races through. new york? yeah, you been? no. thats that. then, my friend lives there; ah great, its a great place; i love america, or us, best country in the world. thats that. whats your name? i ask; he tells me, i cant remember. his friend comes, one of the men carrying plastique eiffel towers les ogres sing about attached to a giant keychain; tells me my new friend's name; sounds like hardly working; hardly working shows me his wrist and the tattoo it dawns, says jammy; thats your name? he says something, now i think hes a boxer. his friend walks away. whats your name? he asks; david i tell him without hesitation; ah, good name; thanks. thats that, then he moves my backpack and on the side previously hidden is the aa name tag declaring Brian Gore; he puts it back. you drink? i love to, just not now; champagne? again; no thanks; red wine? 10 euro; no, mon ami, i'll wait for her; for my friend, he offers, 5 euro; no, i smile earnest, thank you, i'm ok; ok he says and walks away to sell his wine.

called soléne to meet at saint michel for drinks with friends; food and friendly conversation, then to the bar. drinks, jokes, after while we leave. i'm at the apartment of pauline and laurent, generous enough to give me the only bare space on their apartment floor. laurent reads, pauline practices portugese; put their books away, turn off their light and talk with soft night time tones. my light is the only one left on, but its early to rise, so time to switch it off.