CITY OF LIGHT?

Ah, Paris. In April, I spent 9 days there. I was living in a small apartment in The Marais (so small, the bathroom door had a bit cut out of it to accommodate the washing machine door when it opened!). At the end of my street were views of Notre Dame's towers and The Pompadou Centre. An underground radio station (Radio Marais) buzzed in the bottom of my building 24/7. Stunning stuff. I was lucky to be in the driving, swelling, giddy heart of the city... I guess... Paris divided me this visit. When you get past the treasures in the Musee d'Orsay, Notre Dame, Montmartre, Sacre Coeur, La Tour Eiffel, the many wondrous shops etc, Paris is a massive, grimy, difficult, heavy city, with overpriced, dull food. The waves of Parisians and visitors got to me. The pickpockets with their pretend causes got to me. The homeless in tents near Gare de Lyon got to me. The beggars got to me. The rushed people smacking into you got to me. The smoke in the bistros and cafes got to me. The indifference and rudeness of flustered waiters got to me. The cigarette butts and dog urine everywhere on the sidewalks got to me. The army and police presence got to me. The anti-gay marriage protestors got to me. The cramped Metro carriages got to me. It almost pains me to whine, as it's been a city of such wonder before... It seems such a soulless place in many ways. But hey, who am I to judge? I should have just dealt with it. When in Rome. Saying all that, I'd go back there in a shot! LJ, 27 May 2013.

DOG ATTACK

I feel for the poor guy who was attacked by three American Staffordshire Terriers in Western Sydney yesterday. He was jogging down a street in Ashcroft when he was set upon. The dogs had escaped from their property through a hole in a fence. The man had horrific injuries - apparently his heart was visible to paramedics due to the mauling. Why keep dangerous canines like these? Potentially, they are killing machines. Let's hope the owner of the dogs is fined for not securing his property. If the dogs are put down, no one will miss them. LJ, 27 May 2013.

UPDATE, MAY

My family and I had a glorious time abroad in England, France, Denmark and Sweden during April... longing to be back there, really... so many staggering things were seen, experienced, absorbed... photos to come... finishing a suite of poems on Sweden, a country that got under my hair, crept into my spine... beginning a poem on Paris and its down and out for ACU Literature Prize on 'everyday imminence'... MCing an event on Adam Cullen at Gallery Ecosse (Exeter, NSW) Saturday week (Mikey Robbins one of the guests)... off to debating now... go Magdalene! LJ, May 24 2013.