Anais Vionet Poet Rhyme

Notes About The Poem

foggy jog

It was 5am, a cold, dark, foggy night
As Charles and I headed-out to the right
for the ‘Pont de Bir-Hakeim’ bridge across the Seine.
We weren’t the least discouraged by the rain.
 
When possible, we stick to the lower quays
the traffic-free promenades that run close to the Seine   
The wind was bracing as we established our pace
turning west which put a fine rainy-mist in our face
 
The trick to running distance is to establish your breathing
I time mine to my steps, 4-steps-in and four-out, decreasing
to two-by-two as we move into our groove. 
 
We’re aggressive runners, this is for fun
Exercising peers, who’ve run together for years 
We have plans, and set signals with our hands
we wear LED lights so we’re seen at night 
 
We edge the left bank - imagine the pace - the slow steady rhythms
Guys are stronger and faster but I hang-in there with him.
 
The Seine cruise ships are dark, moored at their last pier stops 
The pizzerias are closed, as are the souvenir shops
 
After crossing the Saine via the bridge central colonnade,
the path becomes somewhat dense and dangerous,  
a twisting forest of staircases and crosswalks sequitous 
everything bottles down - competing for space -
bike paths, speeding cars, busses, and trains 
 
On the right bank a Burger King is the first thing we see
Whoppers here feature brioche buns and yummy goat cheese  
Once we clear the river area, a pre-dawn quiet claims the streets
scents rising from the bakeries make you want to stop and eat 
 
It’s wet and dark as we wind our way, but we do this every day
five miles later, the gray ‘Pont d’Iéna’ bridge safely coveys
us back to the left bank with it’s tranquil vibe of birds awakening
 
Close to home now, entering the park, we tear into a sprint, 
our own private, morning, mixed olympic track event
His senescence (he’s 55) lulls me into thinking I can beat him
but I never can - why is my defeat so consistent?
.
.
Songs for this:
Band On The Run (2010 Remaster) by Paul McCartney & Wings
BLT Merriam Webster word of the day challenge 01/03/26: 
Senescence  state of being old

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Chris Conn January 9, 2026 at 7:33 PM An overabundance of footnotes (say 7) would have added a clever embellishment, -and you from an A to an A+.

Vincine Fallica January 9, 2026 at 2:58 PM Couldn’t quite plot your run on Maps. The bridges were easy, but that only makes for a one-mile loop. / Two in, two out, I ran the same pattern back when I ran, and I had a 30” +/- stride. / “Whoppers here feature brioche buns and yummy goat cheese” France? Of course they would. / Always enjoy pieces about Paris. / Check Quora. . <3 Anais Vionet January 10, 2026 at 7:57 PM I just saw your "Write about it" !! I'm going out for my run in a minute, I'll read it later but I put the jog, in map form on the chat. =] Anais Vionet January 10, 2026 at 7:51 PM I started to map out the run in the piece but, A) it didn't seen like a story, B) it would be too long C) I didn't know the street names (Charles plots our routes). Most of the run is on the right bank - here we go - (Left bank): Start Av De La Bourdonnais, go .1 mi to the river, run .6 mi along the lower quay across the Pont de Bir-Hakeim bridge, (Right bank): then up Rue de i'Alboni, right on Rue Franklin, past the Trocadero, up Ave Kleber to the Arc de Triomphe, down the Champs-Elysees, left onto Rue La Boetie, right down Av Matignon, onto Ave Montaigne to the Pont de L'Alma bridge, (Left bank): right on Port de la Bourdonnais, to Av De La Bourdonnais then into the Camp de Mars park and around to back home (Av De La Bourdonnais) - TAA DAA! 5.11 mi (8.224 km). After all that - we don't take the same route every day - Charles decides.