an absinthe eventide
* A bit of mystical fun in honor of a favorite movie “Midnight In Paris” - if you haven’t seen it, I recommend it highly. *
~
I sauntered thru an evening mist
a midnight's heaven magic-kissed
lamp-lit raindrops pattered awesome
glist’ning town turned violet blossom
with charms I dared not e'er resist
drifting on that Paris proper
wandered I, a Yankee pauper
‘til sweet Latin damsel's ride
paused to pull me quick inside
(not that I had mind to stop her)
away - off to another world
the lass and I were aptly hurled
a night of excess spinning fast
as absinthe flavored our repast
its savor mixed our lips and swirled
so club-to-club we smartly hopped
had more green nectar if we flopped
we pushed the limits to their graves
and fueled our backseat carnal craves
thus on-and-onward 'til we dropped
all seems just dream now in my mind
and yet I'd swear that when we dined
some famous folks from ages hence
had joined our group for merriments
and through all mischief we could find
the grandest writers in their day
F. Scott and Zelda - Hemingway!
as Gertrude Stein and Porter, Cole
thus pined polemic from their soul
on death and love, the friendly fray
no one discourse was too far-fetched
as other greats so talked and sketched
Degas, Picasso, and Toulouse-Lautrec
Gauguin and Man Ray gave Dali heck
while on those wilding hours stretched
ever poured the em’rald potion
crazy cogs with constant motion
to cloud quite thick the mental fog
stirred far beyond the hair-of-dog
toasts then raised for every notion
so went the night 'til all went black
I woke some days hence in my sack
believing then that all these things
I’d dreamt with night's meanderings
daft ramblings of a drunken quack
thus setting mind to purge it all
I grabbed my phone to make a call
then spotted on my chair, the note
edged o’er the pocket of my coat
and quick, I scrunched it to a ball
you see - I recognized the write
I'd seen it clear that misty night
when with absinthe, we'd our fill
and Hemingway … had signed the bill!
so … off I sauntered thru the night ...
too scared to find out ... I was right.
Copyright © 2025 Gregory Richard Barden
( photographic art created copyright-free by the poet with GALA AI software )
Post Comments
Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.
Please
Login
to post a comment