Life in Pink

Hold me close and hold me fast
This magic spell you cast
This is la vie en rose

She sings to me
from the stage
her skin sparkling
under the pink lights

The band falls away
and people around me
recede into the black
leaving us there alone

She sways,
hands cradling
the microphone

When you kiss me heaven sighs
And though I close my eyes
I see la vie en rose

Our eyes lock
and I am frozen in place
captive, every sense
alert and focused

When you press me to your heart
I’m in a world apart
A world where roses bloom
And when you speak
Angels sing from above
Everyday words seem
To turn into love songs

I picture your dressing room
clothes strewn about
perfume lingering
roses from the devoted

Give your heart and soul to me
And life will always be la vie en rose
And when you speak
Angels sing from above
Everyday words seem
To turn into love songs

I image what I will say
there in the hallway
at your door

Give your heart and soul to me
And life will always be la vie en rose

Somehow, I wanted to challenge myself to merge my own theme (movies), one of my June prompts (prompt 2: “Write a poem that is inspired by the soundtrack from a film”), AND make it work with Jae Lynn’s “Musically Ranting” challenge (in which I have yet to participate).

And so…I chose “La Vie En Rose.” Now, my intention was to use this as an excuse to watch the 2007 film, but alas, I had a terrible headache this afternoon and ended up napping instead.

However, rarely one to back down from a challenge I have set for myself, I still managed to “rub one out,” so to speak.

Jae Lynn’s prompt this go-round is music of the 1940s. Immediately, when I saw this, three particular artists popped into my mind: Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Edith Piaf. All of three of these singers ooze soul and depth when they sing, even when their lyrics are simple. There is pain, and love, and longing, and desire, and need, and sex, and innocence, and a whole host of other feelings that drip from their lips when they perform. And when I play their music, I am transported, carried, and held. It’s hard to just put on a record by one of these women and do other things around the house. They demand that one sit and listen. Feel. Be with them.

And so I wrote this.

It’s maybe not as good as I had hoped. But I think it has the right tone and does what I set out to do.

*The embedded video/recording is from the film.
*To hear more by Edith Piaf: Here are her greatest hits: