The Eiffel Tower Reflects Poem by Sheena Blackhall

Non, rien de rien
Non, je ne regrette rien
Ni le bien qu'on m'a fait
Ni le mal, tout ça m'est bien égal
Non, rien de rien
Non, je ne regrette rien

They call me the Iron Lady of Paris, La Dame de Fer
The French engineer Gustave Eiffel designed me
I was the main attraction at the World's Fair
(Every mademoiselle has her significant other)

It took workers 2 years,2 months,5 days
To complete me. Am I not wonderful?
Each 7 years, I wear a new coat of paint
Like the icon that I am.

I've gone from copper brown, to yellow,
Now I'm gold
My makeover for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games

I am photographed, drawn, filmed,
I am the symbol of France
I've starred in movies,
The Moulin Rouge, Superman,
The Bond film, (A View to a Kill)
And Ratatouille

I've had walk on appearances
In literature, art and poetry
I am more charismatic than Bardot
As famous as Edith Piaf or Napoleon

More than 6 million people climb me every year
My paint alone weighs 60 tons!
How's that for cosmetic luxury?

In terms of monetary worth
I am six times more valuable than the colosseum of Rome

My height changes with the seasons.
In summer, I am taller. I expand by 7 inches
Strong winds can cause me to sway,
Quite sensous, for a lady made of metal

To get to my peak, you'll have to climb 1,665 steps
Or not, if you suffer from heart problems or corpulence

I have three levels
Restaurants, observation area, souvenir shops
Walk on my glass floor if you dare!
Look at the dizzying scenes beneath your feet!

Look out at The Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Élysées
More than 370 people have committed suicide
Since I was built. Life can be tragic
But many lovers have pledged to wed inside me

Guillaume Apollinaire wrote a poem in the shape of my tower
I'm top of hundreds of tourists' bucket list

In 1912, Austrian tailor Franz Reichel died
After jumping from me
To demonstrate his parachute design
Like Icarus, his planning wasn't great

In 1914, at the start of WW1, a radio transmitter
In my tower jammed German radio communications,
Thus I aided the Allied victory at the first battle of the Marne
I am a true French patriot

For 9 years, I hosted signs for Citroen
I was the tallest advertising space of the age

In 1925, the con artist Victor Lustig 'sold' me for scrap metal
In 1926, a pilot was killed trying to fly under my tower.
So many adventures!
Hitler ordered his military governor of Paris, to demolish me
Of course, his order was disobeyed

In 1987, A.J.Hackett bungee jumped from my top
I am the focus of France at New Year's Eve and Bastille Day

Plagiarism is the sincerest form of flattery
I've been copied world wide. I give you
The Blackpool Tower in England
The Tokyo Tower in Japan
A half scale version at the Paris Las Vegas in Nevada
Two 1: 3 scale models in China,
A copy in Durango, Mexico and European would be look-alikes

I especially love the Trocadéro gardens, my neighbour over the Seine
With its Warsaw fountains, its gilded bronze animal statues,
Its two stone statues, 'L'homme' by Pierre Traverse
And 'La Femme' by Daniel Bacqué.

I am the ultimate A line fashion
Coco Chanel, eat your heart out!

Non, rien de rien
Non, je ne regrette rien
Ni le bien qu'on m'a fait
Ni le mal, Tout ça m'est bien égal
Non, rien de rien
Non, je ne regrette rien