The Old Man and the Seine

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Poem in honour of George Whitman who passed away within twenty-four hours after I called, in vain, to see him.
He was the legendary owner of the Shakespeare & Co. in Paris. I knew him from 1976 onwards.

The Old Man and the Seine For the legendary George Whitman (1912 – December 13, 2011) King George peered out of the oval of the hollow mile And caught the Hunchback ogling Gina Lollobrigida; Victor Hugo sat engrossed in his séance at Guernsey Isle Feigning he would hold back the Cervantes Armada; So witty Ol’ Walt sat on the lip of Notre Dame bridge Scuffing overgrown grass with his heels in the Seine But his beard got caught in Quijote’s wordy porridge: That’s why they say he set up shop in Butcher’s Lane. The Master of Ol’ Vic took exception to this affront And shook his spear such that it stirred a tsunami From the Thames down the Chunnel to the front Of Tumbleweed Hotel’s Shakespeare & Company. Now you know why King George kept his window shut All through the century keeping no eye even half shut. (c) T. Wignesan - Paris. From the collection: Poems Omega Plus, 2005; rev. 2012.

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