Bread and rice

· by · in dVerse, poetry. ·

Sylla-bled each word,
each sense,
each scent, the parting sentence
“au revoir, in Paris mon amour”
the parrot says,
again, again.

She recalls
his uniform
and paddy fields, the river delta
his bicycle, both bread and rice.

Waiting, each day the mailman
passes by her house
while the parrot says
“bonjour, au revoir”
again, again.

Le Pho (1907-2001), Femme au perroquet (Lady with A Parrot) (1938), ink and gouache on silk

Today Melissa hosts dVerse with the art of Le Pho, a Vietnamese artist who studied art during the time Vietnam was part of Colonial French Indochine. Without knowing too much I tried to capture a love story between a Vietnamese girl and a French officer. Perhaps a mirror story to the story of Marguerite Duras.

October 15, 2025

20 responses to “Bread and rice”

  1. We chose the same image and came up with such different poems, Björn, which is the joy of ekphrastic poetry. I love the juxtaposition of ‘each sense, each scent’ and the parrot repeating the phrase. And how poignant is the waiting and the mailman passing by each day.

  3. Absolutely stunning..so much there, history, humanity, surrealism, and what an incredible narrator, or voice this verse has: stunning work Björn.

  6. Love the subtle backstory to the parrot saying au revoir, and she waiting for the mailman. Also love sylla-bled, sense, scent – all poignant to her memories.

  7. Your use of repeating lines is much like a parrot when they learn a new phrase. I can feel the heartbreak of love waiting in the wings of another day of no mail. sigh

  8. Wow, you achieved so much storytelling within this concise piece. The parrot adds a whimsical, unexpected touch. Love it!

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