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French Chef

By: - Nov 25, 2019

French Chef

Living in squalor
Roach infested pad
303 East 11th Street
Between B and C
Lower East Side
La vie Bohème
Portrait of the artist
Young and deranged
Hope and dreams
Can’t go home again
War with Dad
Invitation from Uncle Bill
Kind and gracious
Elegant gentleman
Professor at Queens College
Come for Thanksgiving
Strange subway ride
Found the house
So full of cheer
His French wife
Esterre did I get that right
Or was it Adelaide
Some confusion
Coming to America
Changed her name
Pretty and younger
On sabbatical
To learn French
Teacher of Romance languages
Had quite a fling
They loved to sing
Danced into his 90s
Light on his feet
Easy whimsical humor
Early on I spoke
Schoolboy French with her
We struggled to converse
He translated verse
I treasure his book
First author and poet
In our family
Wrapped in his aura
Their warm embrace
A bohemian nephew
Came to celebrate
We talked of art
Just the three of us
Cousin Paula
Another PhD
Then living in Paris
We sat at the table
With magical flair
She brought out the bird
Turkey to be sure
With a wine glaze
Deliciously moist
Shocked and amused
Her engaging smile
Putting a French twist
On an American classic
For just that once
Queens for a day
Home was away
Memory of holidaze
La vida loca
Food for thought
À la recherche du temps perdu