“The Eiffel in the Night”

I am extremely bored in this very long 9-hour plane ride to Miami from Lisbon, Portugal. Thus, I watched for the 23rd time, “The Lord of the Rings.” 😂 😂 😂

I was reflecting upon my recent trip to Paris and its intellectual traditions, great literature, and the great monuments, museums, and treasures (Le Louvre, Palace of Versailles, Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame Church, Arc de Triomphe, La Seine River, etc), as well as the great civilization and humanist ideals imperial France had built over the many centuries and its ambivalent connections with the TransAtlantic slave trade, Africa, and the Black world, especially my native land of Haiti. Hence, I wrote a new poem and called this song of love, alienation, and lament “The Eiffel in the Night.”

“The Eiffel in the Night”

We are the Eiffel of the night.
Gesturing the body in Black to the beat of Senegal drum,
floating desires in a Parisian night club: the incense of Black joy.
To the gaze of the great Black Kings of the Nile,
to create a new beginning in the West.
The pyramids above, from the land of Kemet,
paved the way for the Louvre of glory.
Drops of Black blood in the Seine River enlighten the City of Light.

We are the Eiffel of the night.
Black beauty and love from the womb of the magical city of Ifẹ̀,
the movements of African spirits caress the Tower at night.
Sugar of delight nourished life in the city for centuries.
From slave plantations of the New World, Ayiti freedom in Black gave a speech about dignity and life in the dark.
The breathe of Black ancestors haunted the City of Light.

We are the Eiffel of the night.
The rainbow of the Tower calmed our wounded love.
We fashioned with our Black hands and strength this Eiffel in the night.
Through silent words, many days of no love speech, we became wanderers in the city,
and the wonder of love on a Parisian night.
You and I, the Tower of light and of joy, will create a new palace where love will reign as King and Queen in the city of “Sun King.”