Dennis Spilchuk Poet Verse

Notes About The Poem

Liberation of Paris, August 26, 1944

Liberation of Paris (August 26, 1944)

Who would have thought
To see American soldiers
Under the Arc de Triomphe
Marching along the Champs-Élysées,
In the Liberation of Paris,
When a short while ago
German soldiers’ goose steps
Thumped down the avenues,
Filling Parisian hearts with fear,
With Nazis everywhere
Enforcing Nazi dogma
In La Belle France.

On both occasions
People broke down and cried:
Out of horror in 1940,
And then out of joy in 1944.
That generation fades,
And another takes over.

Three times played out,
But France’s honour was restored
When de Gaulle and his entourage
Stood at the base
Of the Unknown Soldier’s grave:
« Bonaparte, voici ta gloire,
La souveraineté française reste! »
(“Bonaparte, here is your glory,
French sovereignty remains!”)

The monolith embellishes
The worthiness of a culture,
Felt in the eyes of those present
When the wreath is laid:
« Combattants de la résistance c'est votre heure
Beaucoup sont morts et certains
Emporté dans les bras des anges. »
(“Resistance fighters, this is your hour.
Many have died, and some
Were swept away in the arms of angels.”)

Paris fell in silence;
Liberation was loud.
Gay Paree, where Mademoiselles
In love with life itself
Fling themselves upon soldiers,
And I feel expression to say,
« Belle ville de lumière! »
(“Beautiful city of light!”)

We cry for someone
When there is time
And enlighten each other
With finger-wagging.
The slaughter was atrocious.
The wait, strenuous.

And I’ve become reflective.
I was raw. I had not experienced
And would have kissed her
Like there was no tomorrow,
But my candle was extinguished
In the Seine’s ebb.
                       ***

Note:
   During World War Two (1939–1945), the “Libération de Paris,” aka Battle for Paris, lasted from August 19, 1944, to August 25, 1944. The formal surrender of the Nazi occupation of Paris, France, was on August 26, 1944. General Charles de Gaulle (1890–1970) was the leader of the “Free French” forces during World War Two, fighting against the German military occupiers of France.

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Ilene Bauer August 26, 2021 at 12:25 PM it's great that you've acknowledged this historic occasion with a beautifully written poem about it, dennis. i did not know about this date, worthy of remembering... Dennis Spilchuk August 27, 2021 at 8:15 AM Thank you for your gracious comment. One can only imagine the joy felt in Parisian hearts after 4 years of Nazi occupation.