Every Wednesday afternoon
a sleepy Breton village reawakens,
pivoting around its central ‘Halles’,
next to its church.

Where long tables and live music
are adorned by couleure locale
who detour via the local ‘Bistrot’,
to get their drinks for 1.50: canteen prices almost.

Where the table serving ‘assièttes’ with local produce
took six people more time to set up than to sell out.

Sun-kissed, relaxed, they all seem to know each other,
warmly embracing friends and pulling up chairs.

If you’d stay longer,
you could write a book about each of them:
the French seem to age beautifully.

Questembert, France 26 July 2023