Notre Dame

Devastation From Fire

Notre Dame, arguably the most iconic attraction of Paris, recently suffered devastation from fire. We visited there in the summer of 2018. And what an amazing day it was.

Summer is not necessarily the best time to visit Paris, since most of the locals depart, surrendering the city to the tourists.  But since we were booked on a cruise leaving Amsterdam for Iceland in late July, and had always wanted to see Paris together, we decided to go for the week prior to boarding the ship.

City of Lights

The City of Lights was extraordinary, and seven days there were not enough to see everything. The Eiffel Tower – check. River Seine – check. Catacombs – check. Versailles – check. The Louvre – check. We missed out on Montmarte, Moulin Rouge and the grave of Jim Morrison but decided we would need to return and enjoy the beauty, hospitality and cuisine of Paris once again in the near future.

The day we visited Notre Dame was an epic one. We walked from our hotel in Le Marais district towards the cathedral. The sunshine spilled into the River Seine where we dined on caviar and champagne. A French woman came over to us as we toasted each other, saying that this moment of ours embodied the French spirit.

Bridge Over the Seine River

Afterwards, we crossed the bridge where a young man was sadly freeing a lock from where all the “love locks” reside.

We approached Notre Dame where thousands of people milled, gazing up at the architecture, the stained glass, the statuary.

Inside Notre Dame

Inside, we entered the incense-scented cool and mysterious Catholic place of worship constructed nearly a millennium ago. Voices of fellow tourists hushed and echoey in this most profound of places.

Afterwards, we re-emerged into the warm sunshine, enjoying the gardens before heading for a date with my mentor and friend whom I had not seen for nearly 45 years, the poet, Carolyn Forche.

This day stamped itself indelibly on my mind.

Carolyn Forche

We had about half an hour before our meeting with Carolyn, so Mark and I decided to step into a cameo shop where he bought me an anniversary gift – a French cameo.  As I strode out of the shop feeling beloved and soaking in the wondrousness of Paris, looking at the sky and the buildings around me, I failed to notice a street post strewn across my path.

Bam! I went down landing on my elbow and knee with the camera in my hand bouncing nastily off the sidewalk. I grazed my face on the cement. It was a horrific moment. It would take months for the nerves to reawaken in my elbow.

Medical Emergency

So when we arrived at Carolyn’s modest hotel room a few minutes later and I stood there bleeding and sheepish, Carolyn went into medical emergency mode.  “Go to the pharmacy and fetch some bandages and antibacterial ointment.  And find some ice.”  Mark ran off for these items and I lay back on Carolyn’s bed apologizing for my mishap.

“Don’t worry, your arm will be all right.  There are no broken bones, you’ll be fine,” she said.

Mark came back with the medical paraphernelia and ice and Nurse Carolyn patched me up.  I lay there for half an hour as we caught up with our lives and she mentioned that she had just finished writing a memoir about her time in El Salvador.  It had taken her 15 years to do. She was still feeling raw from the cascade of memories. Of Death Squads, bullets flying, people torn apart.

The Colonel

The title was from the first line of her most famous poem, “The Colonel,” a vivid and chilling account of dining with a psychopathic colonel in his palace. After dessert and coffee, the monster produced a bag of what seemed to be dried peaches but were human ears. He dropped one into a glass of water where it plumped up. “Something for your poetry, no?” he taunted.

What You Have Heard Is True

I just finished reading Carolyn’s memoir, “What You Have Heard is True.” It is a must-read for all poets, all poet-activists, all humanists, all Americans, all citizens of the world who are curious about how and why rebellion takes root. It is the basis of all of her work as a human rights proponent and as one of the greatest poets of our time.  Read her memoir and connect the dots from those horrific days to what is happening today at our southern border.  I learned long ago that to be a poet takes not only the gift of setting pen to paper but a lifetime commitment to serving the world.

I saw this firsthand on the day Carolyn ministered to my wounds, and 45 years earlier, when she helped me to cull my poetic talents.

Carolyn, Mark and I enjoyed an exquisite afternoon at a French bistro with a meal to end all meals and beautiful bottle of wine.

That day is stamped upon my memory and sparkles like the stained glass of Notre Dame that survived the fire. “We’ll always have Paris,” Carolyn said as we kissed goodbye. Something only a poet would say.

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Patty Mooney is a Vice President and Video Producer at San Diego’s award-winning video production company, Crystal Pyramid Productions.