Small Windows

a rondel We rode by and caught The Thinker in France, one small window of time, recklessly close. The Vatican has many small windows when in Rome, we’d stood by, long in advance. Rows of windows, we'd waited for a glance of Pope Francis giving blessed repose. We rode by and caught The Thinker in France, one small window of time, recklessly close. Rodin’s famed sculpture exposed quite by chance, from the bus, our eyes fixed on his well-known pose. In Rome, so far-away, the pope? who knows? But in Paris no doubt, no looks askance, We rode by and caught The Thinker in France. posted December 13, 2015 This form is a rondel. As I was writing about an experience in Paris, I thought a French form would be appropriate. I like the occasion to use repeated lines for emphasis. My poem is a contrast between a serendipitous, chance sighting of the famous sculpture, The Thinker, in Paris and a well-planned but long wait to hear Pope Francis' Sunday blessing in Rome. Both Rodin's sculpture and the pope represent great thinkers in different ways.