Paris Parfait

French perfume

One thing about living in a city: you never know what you're going to see next. This afternoon, I came across a fascinating exhibition of rare plants used in making perfumes, as well as design prototypes for bottles and packaging of some well-known perfumes. The plants had too many coloured lights trained on them to make photography realistic. Instead, I focused on display cases featuring the perfume design prototypes. Sunshine filtered through skylights also affected photography. This is the first of three posts about this exhibition in Boulogne-Billancourt.

Eau des Merveilles - Hermes, Paris (photos above and below) 

Eau de Peace - Claude Montana, Paris (photos above and below)

Roberto Cavalli - Italy (photos above and below)

Ode to Seville

Glazed tile made in the workshop of Niculoso Francisco in Seville, Spain circa 1520-1550. The central quatrefoil is endorsed by four linked semicircles enclosing stylized floral motifs.

A panel in the Museo do Azuleso, Lisbon, Portugal shows the full decorative effect of this design. The tile is part of my collection of antique tiles from Seville.

Look closely at my weary face
a roadmap of Sevilla etched within the fine lines,
scattered among the delicate flowers and leaves,
my beautiful image faded by time's passage.
Once part of a magnificent sala in the Alcazar Palace:
The Moors wiped their boots here
before their last sigh.
And there, a slight indention caused
by the invaders' horses' hooves.
Diplomats cooled their heels in the Salon de Embarjadores,
waiting for the restless attention of the Emir of Andalus.
The flamenco was danced with abandon across my Niculoso design -
see those dark scuff marks there and over there?
A sultry senorita waved her fan furiously, flinging it in impatience
on a hot night in Barrio Santa Cruz, scratching that corner,
as she scorned the advances of a poor wandering minstrel.
A guitarist played plaintive melodies on the banks of the Guadalquivir,
while awaiting an audience with the Caliph's vizier.
Jugglers' wooden pins clattered against my glazed surface,
as visitors strolled through summer festivals
in the fragrant evening shadow of La Giralda.
Gypsies selling oranges raked their painted fingernails over my leaves,
while eyeing wealthy men calling on the king and queen.
Many came to ask their blessings for travel
far across the sea, hoping to expand Spain's horizons.
Cristoforo Colombo waited two years here, seeking
Isabella's patronage for three sailing ships.
All these moments came and went and new worlds were found.
Still I survived, my face bearing witness to history:
songs of conquerors, adventurers, discoverers and zealots;
odes of love and passion; epics of greed and betrayal.
Stories of battles won and alliances lost;
of shifting loyalties and three religions' influence.
Tales of Sevilla and Andalucia:
the heartbeat of Spain!

This poem was written for Poetry Thursday.

Little Boy Blue

A little boy plays in the blue crushed rock/sand mixture along the path of a bamboo forest in the Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris.

In May, the bamboo was transported to the garden and planted in giant zinc pots.

Sailing away

We look away for an instant, only to find that our ship has sailed.

 

This Haiku was written for One Deep Breath.

 

Photo at Luxeumbourg Gardens, Paris.