A poem: Goodbye Geneva

Adieu to our city!


Goodbye vacations

And infinite summer days,

The youngest always asking

If it's night or day.


Goodbye music lessons and sailing,

We abandon the free rental bicycles

To the busy streets of Geneva.



Goodbye Italian restaurants

Paninis shared on park benches,

In favorite cafes, we will be found

Missing.



Goodbye buses

Always on time

 And dreamy train rides.

Goodbye Lac Leman,

 Always so majestic

Without any tides.



Goodbye urban promenades,

Hushed library conversations,

 Roses and cedars in parks.

 Moments of leisure

And clocks made of flowers.



Goodbye to our first regatta

That bright sunny day

As we watched our brother

Sailing away.

He made us all  so proud.



Goodbye artsy cinema houses.

To Lausanne visits and to Hopper,

For the sake of good art,

We could travel even farther.



Goodbye Basel

Now my daughter can decipher

More than any other 6 year old

Basquiat graffiti and

Ben's clever penmanship.




Goodbye Olympic size swimming pool

And summer days so cool,

Next year we will return

And ride on our "mouettes",

Our favored water taxis.




Through  neighborhoods from "Amelie Poulain"
 
We glided on our trottinettes,

By the lakeside,

Our sister on two wheels,

For the first time,

 Rode her red bicyclette.



They went to the circus,

I, to the Opera

They cheered non stop:

 Hip hip hip, hourra!



Goodbye Geneva,

we leave you in peace.

Till our next visit

When our joy and life

Will fill your heart again.