A Delivery Van Poem by Philip Hammial

In the middle of the intersection of the Rue de Seine & the Rue de Buci a van stops & the driver, taking his sweet time despite the pile up of traffic, loads several cases of bottles onto his trolley & wheels them into the Bar du Marche. About twenty sheep (a flock of sheep in the middle of Paris?) moving slowly up the Rue de Buci, approach the van & clamber into its open side door, & the shepherd, slamming the door shut, sits down at a table & orders a café express which is brought by a surly waiter a few moments later, the van driving off with a load of bleating sheep, this incident similar in many respects to the one I encountered last night at 11:30 in the Pigalle Metro station trying to catch the last train home – a herd of Texan long horn cattle completely filling the platform, impossible to get near the train when it stopped, had to walk home.