The Eiffel Tower opened to the public March 31, 1889. In honor of April officially designated as National Poetry Month, here is one of my favorite poems about the Eiffel Tower, which has always made me think the tower is no less than poetry in steel.
The Eiffel Tower
If I wanted to see the Eiffel tower
I’d pick one photo
of the hundreds,
of thousands
ever taken
Taken from every possible angle
In every light available
From down, down, beneath,
and from up, up, above
From an apartment balcony
late at night
with a glass of wine
in one hand.
But, I don’t want to see the Eiffel tower; No!
Instead; I want to see
The laugh lines
of the man who built it
Or the rosy cheeked child
on the corner street
wishing that they were bigger
than they already sadly were,
Or the imprints
of a new-born goat’s feet
in the red, red sand,
of West Africa.
I’d want to see
‘from whence he came’
and ‘from whence he goes’ “
and what home really is again.
I’d want to see
What it means
to see Something more.
Although I am unable to find the author of this poem, I am grateful it was written.
