Café tables on terrasse drenched in rain ~
everyone’s indoor as if on hold
waiting impatiently for the sun to come out.
April showers bring may flowers
but we aren't happy to pay the price ~
meanwhile the rain stubbornly won't let up.
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
i found the perfect little table
in the perfect cozy corner
in the perfect quirky bistro
in the perfect part of town
as i head out on my merry way
they may as well cordon off the area
'cause when i get there ~ god help
anyone who may be sitting in that spot
She sent back the last order, as well.
This time, she shook her head
like a dog in the rain,
like a posh-frock woman
having "a spell."
The brimming broth, she said,
had a bitterness that swelled
and stung between her cheeks,
and across her tongue.
It steamed with the scent
of turmeric and sweat,
a lipstick kiss in the basement
of the Red Grotto Used Bookstore,
of a Dominican girl, half her age,
in skin jeans and red sneakers,
pulling her by the hand
during Summer City Lit Festival
last year.
She claimed she craved the
steaming heat of our menu's
Andean soup,
but bones like razors waited
when she raised the brim
of the bowl to her lips.
Just like the wine she sent back,
she said that the broth bit her lip
with a vicious grin
when she closed her eyes,
opened wide,
leaned in,
and tried to love it
with the whole of her mouth.
How does it sound when Rimbaud rocks and Baudelaire has got the Blues?
When Verlaine vibes to the beat and Apollinaire to arpeggios?
Bistro Bohème tries to answer these questions!
We are a French poetry band, all living together in the same Berlin flatshare.
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Love,
Bistro Bohème
Welcome back,
It’s been a while
An invitation to Wine Pairing
I bet it brought a smile
Zevenvacht’s our wine
A farm from Stellenbosch
Meaning Seven Expectations
By golly, that sounds posh
I have some peeps
Tonight I must mention
Dom our good friend
Out spending his pension
Can’t leave out Auralia
She’s about to split
Rumour has it
She’s fallen in love with a Brit
On to my favourites
The gorgeous hot ducks
Looking radiant as ever
Wish I’d worn a Tux
Kerry’s back
For a brief interlude
With Catherine and friends
That table’s bound to get rude
Enough now, Barrie
It’s time to stop
The next course’ almost ready
And there’s wine to dop
You’ve come out this evening
For a wee, delicious bite
Drink fine wine, meet new friends
Your expectation? A fabulous night
Our farm is Vergenoegd Löw
It’s an interesting, unusual designation
Give me a minute to clear the mystery
By treating you to this narration
I searched all of the interwebs
To see,
who definitely knew?
I found an interesting list of people
Who’ve experienced it through and through
Seems that Debbie. From Dallas.
She knew it all
Mick and the Stones, when they got it
They had a ball
Bob Marley and UB40
At the end of a gig
They defs experienced it
When they lit up a spliff
Ghandi and Roy Orbison wrote about it,
As did Anne Frank and Kahlil Gibran,
Michael Jordan, Freud, Bill Gates,
The Pope, Margaret Thatcher. Even Superman.
It’s time to translate it
I’ll end my protraction
When you drink the wine tonight
You will experience - Satisfaction
Vergenoegd, and Professor Löw
Welcome to our wine pairing
You and you. One and all
We’ve got great food and wine
Our hope for the evening… you have a ball
You’re seated in a Bistro
That’s where you’re at
Bryanston’s finest it’s said
And that’s an undeniable fact
So what is a Bistro?
South African’s don’t know
We’ve been hoodwinked by the chains
So here’s the Bistro manifesto
It’s that place you go to
When you have an itch to scratch
Somewhere deep in your tummy
Maybe a dish with Grzywacz
Historically, it a local
Where a chef made a stop
After a long day or night of cheffing
It was his food-and-wine-go-to shop
Food like mamma made
Quality, personality, just like you know
All made by a chef bleeding passion
While you’re drinking a Bordeaux
It’s a perfect place to find yourself
For tonight’s Stellenrust
An undeniably great wine farm
An experience you won’t resist
A bistro in Bryanston uptown,
Delicious tastes abound.
With dishes so fine,
In candlelight shine,
A culinary treasure is found!
In the kitchen, Chef Lanser is king,
With a ladle, a spatula swing.
His creations divine,
Matching flavours with wine,
A culinary dance is taking wing!
In glasses, L'Avenir we shall pour,
A wine to adore and explore.
With aromas so bold,
Creating stories untold,
A sip of the future in store!
It's the marketers in the room
Who must be in a state
We have a wine with a name
Impossible to articulate
There are basic rules to obey
When creating a brand
Simple, one or two syllables
Easy to remember and understand
Google, Lego, Cotton-On
Whatsapp, DHL, Bard
Nerf, Typo, and Shell
They work, cos they're not that hard
And the winemaker’s with us tonight
Brad, with his entourage
Will he agree with this assessment?
Or insist it's sabotage!
Bit-and-for-wag-thing
Brute-and-formatage
I've been practising all week
And the correct pronunciation is still at large
However, let me tell you one thing
That's not easily found today
When you've got a perfect product
Marketing becomes child's play
You can call it what you want,
You can dress it up as a clown
When your wine's as good as Brad's
You get to wear the golden crown
So please, enjoy tonight
Taste and savour every option
Because it's always an unforgettable evening
When you're drinking Buitenverwachting
Come, all you wine lovers, and gather round,
Tonight we'll explore flavours that abound.
From the vines of Simonsig, both red and white
We'll sample their wines, and pair them just right.
First, a crisp Chenin Blanc, so versatile in style
Paired with a Portuguese Fish Stew, hmmm, you're going to smile
Then, a Pinotage, full , robust,
To go with mushrooms, roasted to perfection, no fuss.
And finally, a Bordeaux, for toasting and cheer,
As we raise our glasses, to the rest of this year.
Let's sip and savour, each and every glass,
And enjoy the company of friends, and good laughs.
It's the 3rd of the month
An excellently important day
5 decades or so ago,
My parents made a little 'roll in the hay'
Tonight, I'm spoiling myself
Going out for dinner el solo
Down to my favourite local Bistro
For Salmon Wellington, Cab Sav and Gateau
Made sure I phoned ahead,
with 3 weeks to go
Booked a delicious pescatarian meal
And a table outside, on the patio
I arrived with a grin
And was shown to a shabby table inside
Served Beef Wellington, Sav Blanc,
And for dessert, a Mince Pie!
Why? What? How could this be?
I immediately called for the Chef
Oh Lanser, how could you get this so wrong
Have you recently gone stone deaf?
No! He said, in his monotone
And pulled from his pocket an email
You sent us this note just yesterday
Updating your culinary detail
But it wasn't... I didn't.... Who could it have been?
To know that I'd definitely be here
Someone who would sabotage my effulgent glory
And rob me of my cheer?
Then it dawned on me
Who sabotaged my favourite night
It was my horrible ex-wife
She's darn clever, evil and so full of spite
Tonight's our night
We've been waiting weeks
Our favourite Bistro
For Potato soup with leeks
They gave us 'our' table
The one by the door
Where we first sat
Table number 4
I remember what you ate
Thai Curry with Fish
I had the Gnocci
Oh what a dish
It'll always be our table
Near the dance floor
Where we first fell in love
Table number 4
Tonight as we danced
I loved all our chatter
A short walk to our table
To enjoy Tempura Prawns batter
Where was your starter?
And why was there Greek salad?
It's all going wrong
It's the little things that matter
I called over to the owner
The big bearded one
I was gonna let him know
He had spoiled all our fun
With a furious glance
I looked at the wine
And quickly realised
We were at table number 9
Welcome to Walker's Bistro,
our doors are open for your dining delight,
our menu is varied for this delicious invite,
today we are serving freshly caught catfish,
served with garlic broccoli and a carrot special dish,
fried onions are tossed with noodles galore,
making you want to eat more and more,
enjoy it with our tasty blend of blackberry tea,
or a wine of honeydew for a moment of glee,
leave room for the dessert of all to dream,
a troplical bowl of strawberry, banana and cream,
mixed with chunky watermelon and walnut
a wonderful way to get out of your eating rut.
How can I be so sure.
There have been many times where I have been sure before.
In fact, surer than sure.
Standing outside of myself; I brush pass every other thought.
A space crowded with nowhere particularly to be.
Except here.
Shoulders brush against the thought of other shoulders.
Irked in irritation; the search of a higher purpose.
A casual meet and greet of lips.
A bistro of conversation with neither of us knowing what to order.
We swirled in each others thought.
Becoming the spoons which swirled around in creme and sweetener.
The thought was mutual.
We were both generous with our sips.
Both known to the after thought of addiction.
The roof of our mouths drenched with infatuation.
Lost somewhere between the rumbling of our stomach.
And the eying of Banana bread muffins.
Moist in infatuation.
The fulfillment of a connection of something so simple.
A lady walks in the door
Good morning she said
Can I have a cup of coffee?
And eggs on toast bread
And she sits on the table
Next to the open window
After having her breakfast
She waves as she leaves to go
I serve all meals and stews
To all who comes in the place
And deserts and ice-cream
To suit nearly every taste
A friend gives me the idea
A very smart beautiful girl
To share my cooking
With some people of this world
My friend Jo told me
She likes the way I cook
Like an original Parisian
That’s how my foods look
So I smile and said to her
Do you really think so?
She said you make tasty dishes
Why don’t you open a bistro?
Now my friend is so wise
She means everything she said
Now ever since that day
Got the idea stuck in my head
She is right about my foods
I do make some tasty grub
Check out some the pictures
On my profile on wire club
Have to make simple menus
With some real home cooking
So you can walk right in
No need to call for booking
I start to think about it more
So I did it two months ago
And today here they are
Having meals in my bistro
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