This afternoon I strolled over to Granville Island on my lunch hour. While it was a bit nippy, the fog of the past few days and this morning's rime had been dispersed by a gentle sun. Light clouds ambled across a pale-blue sky.
My errands complete and my lunch munched, I drifted past the plaza outside of La Baguette et l'Echalote, a rather yummy bakery. One of the Island's regular buskers, a lean, dapper, bespectacled guitarist/chanteur, was singing "La Vie En Rose." As his calm strumming and evocative voice floated en air, a young couple took to the empty plaza and began to dance.
They stood face-to-face. He put one hand on her lower back, she put one of hers on his shoulder. Their other hands clasped outstretched. He was clad in a Goretex raincoat with a beanie jammed down tightly on his head. She wore jeans, thick-rimmed glasses, and clumpy approach shoes. They were not particularly good dancers. But as they moved uncertainly around the empty plaza, to me they seemed to glide. They were in love, and for the briefest of interludes I was caught in that sweet, crystallized moment.
This has lingered with me all day, and I wanted to share it with you, Dear Friends.
Edith Piaf - La Vie En Rose (buy here)
Charles Aznavour - The Old-Fashioned Way (buy here)
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5 comments:
Ah FiL,
Good to see that even a hardened spirit such as your can be moved by the movements of a more civilised dance than those chaps ripping their arms off and spurting fake blood over the assembled throng!
You know when the music takes hold then sweeping up a beautiful woman into your arms and stepping out on to the dance floor for a little "vertical expression of horizontal desire" is one of the finer things in life........ I cast my mind back to Ceroc at Fulham Town Hall only last Thursday night and I start to dream....
Yours
TT
xxx
Hi FiL,
What a lovely post to come back to! A young couple dancing sweetly in public...I was all smiling, and sighing...and next thing I know, I'm reading about Adult Entertainment and a trip to Las Vegas. Oh my! ;)
I hope you had a great time here in America. And I hope you're doing well. :)
I look forward to catching up and getting cozy with your December and January archives.
Take Care, FiL. And Happy Monday!
~ Your long lost friend
Dearest JC, it makes perfect sense. I too love the city, but that's probably way too apparent for my own good. But I'm pleased that you are happy where you find yourself - wherever that may be, it is a precious thing to have.
Dearest, Dearest T: Yes, though I'm more prone to the mosh, I do appreciate joined-up dancing, especially when done with esprit!
Dearest Ash: Welcome back! Yes, it's been a funny old mix round here. Love and sin - all the big themes ;-) Vegas was quite the experience - more to follow...
A beautiful moment captured so well - they are all too fleeting (oh, the cynic I am...) so it's nice to catch them when they happen in front of us. I think had I witnessed this finest of fine moments I may have crumpled my twee shirt. Or taken over the Plaza and pogo-a-go-go'd to 'Transmission' in my head... Dance, dance, dance...
Fil, that story warms my cockles. thanks for sharing. The best we could hope for in Birmingham would be a mugging.
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