Notre-Dame is Burning
          “Architecture began like all writing.”
              Victor Hugo

Notre-Dame is burning which is us,
The oak trees that collapsed in fire is us,
Words of alter and nave aflame in the night
is us,
On an April night Edit Piaf sings our song
“Notre Dame de Paris”,
The Little Sparrow sings— “Belle
C’est un mot qu’on dirait inventé pour elle
Quand elle danse et qu’elle met son corps à jour… “
Beautiful, when she dances
revealing her body in fire and water,
The old lady her body burns in us—
Nine centuries of bravery into a cold April,
She burns in majestic ruin for us,
A tragic dance of fire into the Paris night,
She burned for us,
In our despair we burn for the great lady,
Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Paris, We who adored her in dying April,
We burn for her architecture of words,
All of us burn on a night in April.

 

Luis Lázaro Tijerina was born in Salina, Kansas. Mr. Tijerina has a Master of Art degree in history, concentration being military history and diplomacy. He is a published author of military theory, short stories, essays and poetry. Mr. Tijerina resides in Vermont.