The Cathedral (Notre Dame)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LIFE SONGS

The Cathedral

 

She rises from the ashes

All our hearts must overflow

The tears we shed in sorrow

In pure joy we now let go

 

A monument to human grace

At the core of western civilization

A tribute to artistic achievement

At the heart of the French nation

 

She stands now for our resilience

The stubborn loyalty of our race

We refuse to yield to memories

The sacred beauty of this place

 

Notre Dame stands once again

Where she will stand for all time

Beyond the glory of mortal men

Beyond the beauty of all rhyme

 

She is the ultimate of our being

She is the heartbeat of our song

We hear her dancing and singing

And we must dance and sing along

 

(Re: Jean-Louis Georgelin 1948 – 2023)

 

Allez Macron!

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL POLITICS

Allez Macron!

 

Amidst the paralyzing indifference

As the horrors spread in the Middle East

From Gaza to the West Bank to Lebanon

At the hands of the Israeli beast

 

One man rises in the heart of Europe

To say what must be said

We cannot stand by indifferently

Until ten thousand more are dead

 

He proposes a weapons embargo

To stop the spread of this bloody war

If the Israelis continue on this path

It will soon be at our door

 

Netanyahu is reeling desperately

All he wants is blood and more

It will take a unity of nations

To end this endless war

 

We all must be accountable

For the horrors he has unleashed

What began as just retribution

Has become a bloodletting feast

Farewell Macron

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WORLD DEMOCRACY

Farewell Macron

 

All of France is on hiatus

They declared an Olympic truce

But since the last Olympic cheer

Macron has worn a political noose

 

His party took a beating

While the far-right moved ahead

The people have made it clear

They’d prefer Castets instead

 

Macron has been remarkable

In the most difficult of times

But now the people want a change

For the next phase of the climb

 

It’s the way of the republic

Change is coming for us all

Those who reach the pinnacle

Must be prepared for the fall

 

So farewell Monsieur Macron

You have served your nation well

You will long be remembered

Take a bow and say farewell

Don't Swim in the Seine

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: RIVER SERIES

Swimming in the Seine

 

There are many things that you can do

Like singing in the rain

Like driving down a lonely road

Or strolling down a country lane

You can take a trip to Iceland

You can spend some time in Spain

You can say or do a million things

And do them once again

But you can’t swim in the Seine

 

For the river is a toxic stew

It would surely make you ill

You might survive the poisoning

If you take a magic pill

You might do it if you dared

But the wiser will refrain

There’s a world of awe in Paris

It’s a place where one has been

But don’t swim in the Seine

 

You can walk down Champs Elysees

You can visit Musee d’Orsay

Bow down before the Arc de Triomphe

Pay your respect to Notre Dame

You cannot miss la Tour Eiffel

Nor the grace of Pere Lachaise

The Louvre is filled with wonders

You can share them with a friend

But you can’t swim in the Seine

 

France is France Again

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WORLD DEMOCRACY

 

France is France Again

 

The voice of France has risen

France is France again

A unity of disparate parties

Has defeated Marine Le Pen

 

There’s a lesson in this for all of us

Who are facing a similar choice

The way to defeat the extremist right

Is to find a united voice

 

They vilify the “others”

They exploit the people’s fears

They claim to have the answers

As the end of days draws near

 

But there answer is a power grab

That elevates their own

They dismantle your republic

And build a fascist throne

 

All of France can celebrate

But we must stand on guard

It’s easy to lose democracy

Maintaining it is hard