A chocolate shop
In La Rue Bonbon;
An old cobbled street
Where soldiers died.
Sunlight spatters
The gable walls,
And a sparrow
Drops in the heat.
By the church of the Sacré Coeur
The Virgin statue stands,
Sightlessly staring
At the sleepy street.
Heeds not the tolling
For war or peace.
Sees not the sparks from
Marching feet,
And the little sparrow dies.
Comes Madame Trufflette,
And little Yvette
All perfume, frills and bows,
Bowed into the shop,
Of the chocolat
By the simpering Monsieur Limoges.
Violet Creams, Lavender Dreams,
Ribbon bound in a silver box.
The shrieking shells, and crack of guns -
Just the rattle of coins
On the counter top.
The pretty shop is a chocolate box,
All black and white,
With gilded chairs.
Fine ladies gloat, and flounce and preen,
And satin shelves show off the wares.
The mud and glory was just a dream,
And the little sparrow soars.
