The Boulevard Montmartre at Night
From an oil on canvas by Camille Pissarro
Thin tires rattle over cobblestone,
as taxis race through drenched
boulevards — stopping for gloved
hands — young women, shivering,
as rain drops slip down the backs
of chiffon dresses.
—
Street lamps glisten through gray
rivers, flames burning safely
behind smoked glass. Around them,
the city blurs, watercolors smudged
on my window pane. The streets
of Paris are washed
away.
