sans pants,
I am Joan
saving France.
Behold my pennant, my purpose, Saint Margaret and Saint Cat;
bold as bread made from molasses, unshorn hair as plain and black.
Bonjour English
A bientot--
teach you Francais
when I grow.
_____
Ten lines for Kerry's micro-challenge at Real Toads.
Image: "The Flag" by Thomas Cooper Gotch, 1910.
"A bientot" = "see you soon"
The title made me smile........the poem is perfection.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it only take that single girl to change the course of history.
ReplyDeleteQuite a catechism of the saints and sins of childhood so soon outgrown (and then as a sinister Mad Scientist once said, it's 'God Bless Lily St Cyr..') which are after all, the noblest and most innocent we ever have. Charming in every way, Shay--this pic also made me think of Joan.
ReplyDeletecool, Shay ~
ReplyDeleteCuriously, I went through a "saint" phase, reading all about them, even though I am not Catholic.
ReplyDeleteOf course, Joan of Arc was my favorite.
Your poem brought back a flood of memories...
...could play jump rope rhyme with this at recess - wonder if the nuns would like it? Intriguing and the painting as well - obviously a brave soul - does remind me of Joan of Arc... quite the gaze she has...
ReplyDeletewho are the heroes and who are the innocents in our world, a question well posed
ReplyDeletemuch love...
France has always been the arena of battles and war.. sadly it is still so in this very year!
ReplyDeleteLove this ditty, with all the flavour of a traditional song.
Those first four lines hint at a story of childhood innocence and perhaps a manipulation of that innocence we still see today in the world.
ReplyDeleteAh, charming--k.
ReplyDeleteDelightful. I love bold as bread made from molasses.
ReplyDeleteSmile :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome - love the title. :)
ReplyDeleteI'll throw your name into the canonization game... Hell, you're better than Junipero Serra any day.
ReplyDeleteI really like the rhythm of this.
ReplyDeleteShay--I am doing a "challenge" where I'm thanking my blogging friends, so here goes:
ReplyDeleteShay:
Thanks for amazing me on a daily (and sometimes twice-daily) basis.
Thanks for pissing me off with your astonishing poems. No matter how hard I try, I can't even get in the same ballpark as you...
... but most importantly, thanks for writing. For sharing bits of you. For tearing off strips of your flesh and exposing your pain and your joy. For emerging from some hellish experiences and coming out stronger.
To paraphrase Tom Cruise in "Jerry McGuire," you (help) complete me...