The Ruba'Iyat of Creteil Lake - Part Four

The Ruba’iyat of Créteil Lake – Part Four Lovers stroll down her nubile spine blithely to pubic isle Where under linden boughs and mulberry spread connive smile Old and young keep parading swathed in bundles of fur wear While children romp around on tri-cycles with befuddling guile Leon Blum lyceens cart on bulging backs their home-worked chores While their waddle with rollicking bums speak of runaway mores And boys groomed fast to mature men cast lewd eyes on wives Teens no more stop to listen if the Lady of the Lake snores Colonies of campers come to barbecue on her tresses And watch some husbands kick the balls through two stumps of dresses While strained and starved-looking dames escort and watch children play In a Bordeaux and yellow toy-land sandy circus wine-press The Grande Armée of the sporting fishing clan pitch their tent On her soft flanks for solitary siluroids anglers hunt The bashful toothless mammoth lost in nightmarish dreams While cameramen stalk their every gesture in contempt At her itchy feet where Pompiers de Paris come to train Rinse uniforms, flush cisterns and fly over crested main Pigeons grumble wobble while crows flap razor-sharp tailcoats As tourists from nearby trysting hotel blink in disdain! © T. Wignesan – Paris, 2013