Brief Encounter
A school, in France, 1964.
Six months after my arrival,
the directeur emerged from his office,
doing his rounds, I assumed.
He met me in the corridor.
‘Vous êtes de la maison, monsieur?’
I was the assistant d’anglais,
I explained, holding out my hand.
He clamped it lightly
with moist finger tips,
and told me the Lyonais
were cold people, adding,
‘C’était difficile pendant la guerre.’
Whereupon he adjusted his trilby,
minced out of the building
like Hercule Poirot,
and I never saw him again.
the directeur emerged from his office,
doing his rounds, I assumed.
He met me in the corridor.
‘Vous êtes de la maison, monsieur?’
I was the assistant d’anglais,
I explained, holding out my hand.
He clamped it lightly
with moist finger tips,
and told me the Lyonais
were cold people, adding,
‘C’était difficile pendant la guerre.’
Whereupon he adjusted his trilby,
minced out of the building
like Hercule Poirot,
and I never saw him again.
© Nemo 2022
Views: 1031
Hercule Poirot was Belgian is there a reason you use him instead of another well-known prominent figure such as
George du Maurier
“I am not a bloody little frog! I am a bloody little Belgian!” Poirot used to complain.
If you have seen Hercule Poirot played by David Suchet you’d see why I’ve used him. Anybody else would not resonate with British readers.
so you were merely describing a scene, and you’d rather be limited by British readership, whereas George du Maurier would work much better you being British in France talking to a French person, him being French-British. a connection with trilbies too. an educative attempt too for any readership. I have seen David Suchet. Didn’t remember the name of the actor but googled it and that’s exactly what I imagined, but it is also strong in my memory the fact that Poirot disliked being called French so I tried to find another person that would also work quite well. what I… Read more »
I’m pretty sure George di Maurier wouldn’t be a suitable image, David Suchet’s portrayal of Hercule Poirot is on our screens nearly every day of the week and, most important of all, he minces. Only 1% of the British population have heard of George du Maurier. It’s of no consequence that Poirot was Belgian and my scene is set in France. British readers, if there are any, would remember the mincing. He could be any nationality, it doesn’t matter, as long as he minces.
ok but I am interested in why the director minced like Hercule Poirot. why would you mention the moist finger tips why would he say the phrase in French. there is a story here. I’d like to see it more in the poem. i find it inspiring.
There is no more story. It was a brief twenty second encounter and is as brief an encounter for the reader as it was for me. I wrote what he said in French because that’s what I remember. It would be unfaithful to the scene to report his words in any other language. He didn’t mince like Poirot in 1964 because he couldn’t have seen David Suchet’s portrayal. I, with my backwards-looking telescope, see him mincing like Poirot.
what you say with your backwards-looking telescope is equally interesting:
i think you have a much bigger poem here. and a very inspiring one too. i hope you will see that and do something. this is a very nice poem thanks for posting