The uniqueness that is Paris lies as much in our expectations as in our perceptions.
Among our expectations are her enduring icons of permanency.

The Inferno

In stunned silence we watched
As our collective notions of lasting improbability
Fell against the raging fires of certainty.
History had stood its grounds for 850 years--
Now believers and nonbelievers
Christians and agnostics wept and prayed and
Swallowed lumps of eternity.
The monument that had stood for
All the world to see above the flames
Of sin and virtue hope and despair
Was engulfed and transformed into charred memories.

The city of lights was once again under siege—
The music paused and gave way to the
Laws of probability and of Nature.

But even in our sorrow
As waves of humanity stand their ground
And mournful chords of prayer begin to fill the air
We know the stories of the Phoenix
And of resurrection
And of grit and determination:
This too will pass and tomorrow
Will also have its say.

No matter the cost
No matter the sacrifice
The restoration of this eternal monument to faith
Hope and love
Will have the final word.