I got this from Sandy Robbins , who I saw perform the poem in May 2006, and it is written by the poet Marsha Truman Cooper . First published in River City, and then in "Substantial Holdings" (1987, 2002) FEARING PARIS Suppose that what you fear could be trapped, and held in Paris. Then you would have the courage to go everywhere in the world. All the directions of the compass open to you, except the degrees east or west of true north that lead to Paris. Still, you wouldn’t dare put your toes smack dab on the city line. You’re not really willing to stand on a mountainside miles away, and watch the Paris lights come up at night. Just to be on the safe side, you decide to stay completely out of France. But then danger seems too close even to those boundaries, and you feel the timid part of you covering the whole globe again. You need the kind of friend who learns your secret and says, “See Paris first.”
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