Bonjour, Mes Amis. Welcome to Poetry Friday at Alphabet Soup!
Please help yourself to tea and croissants. The pain au chocolat is especially good — is there a better way to greet the day than with buttery, flaky pastry wrapped around a decadent piece of deep dark chocolate? *rapture*
For passionate poet and gastronome Diane DeCillis, croissants are the stuff of dreams. About today’s poem, she says:
Yes, I had a dream about croissants. And maybe I was sneaking one. I have an almost pathological love of sweets.
Usually, I’ll take a dream and use some of the details as a framework. Since croissant is a French word for a Viennese pastry, I began to elaborate, adding that I was stealing in French and took it from there.
I remember being a kid and having a dream that there was a mountain of Paydays (my favorite candy back then) on the school playground. I was running toward it and woke up just before I reached it. Hence the end of the poem.

LAST NIGHT I DREAMED I STOLE THE CROISSANTS
I was stealing in French,
stole tender crescents
with a translucent glaze,
crusty and raspberry filled,
stole light
clouds of pastry
layered with butter.
glistening like Antoinette’s baubles.
I stole the moon, I stole la lune,
took le voyage dans la lunette.
I was the cow, la vache qui rit,
laughing and buoyant in flight.
I stole the sea, la mer, and la feesh,
that jump and dance in the moonlight.
I stole the night and the stars,
and wrapped them in silver
shaped like the neck of a swan . . .
Oh, don’t be jaloux, cher,
don’t foofaraw like the blue jays
and chimps. (They can become
jealous too.)
It was only one night
(cinq minutes dans ma coeur),
and, oui, some oozed
with chocolate,
sadly, none ever touched my lips.
~ copyright © Diane DeCillis, from Strings Attached (Wayne State University Press, 2014), posted by permission of the author.

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Oh, sweet words, sweet flirtation, light, lyrical and delectably playful! Do you also have dreams where you wake up just before the really good part? Is there a particular food you dream about most often?
Now, please leave your links below with Mr. Linky. Don’t forget to put the title of the poem you’re sharing or the book you’re reviewing in parentheses after your name. Enjoy all the poetic offerings being served up in the blogosophere today and have a delicious weekend!
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Copyright © 2014 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.
Who wouldn’t have sweet dreams with a chocolate croissant as a pillow? I love how today’s poem positively oozes with flavor and… je ne sais crois(sant). Thanks for hosting PF this week, Jama!
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Yum, Jama! (My husband once said, “Croissant” is French for heart attack”…!)
And thanks for hosting, Jama!
I’m in with:
4 Reasons to Give up Writing…and a poem from my verse novel for Poetry Friday that happens to includes a fruit, so it fits your blog’s theme ~
http://www.teachingauthors.com/2014/10/4-reasons-to-give-up.html
(link goes live Friday morning)
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I knew I’d drool…I always do when I come here!
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Thanks for hosting, Jama. I think I will dream of croissants for sure! Yum!
We’re having a different kind of snack over at my place for Poetry Friday with Episode 3 of A Great Nephew & A Great Aunt. My link goes live in the morning.
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My mouth is totally salivating over this delicious poem and the images. You should post a warning.
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Luscious, as ever. the poem reminded me too of maggie stiefvater’s dream thieves. Stealing the moon! Stuff of sweet dreams indeed – plus chocolate croissants. 🙂
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I had a truly horrific spinach and feta croissant for lunch one day this week, Jama. No one would dream of stealing that croissant. If only it had been one of your delectable pastries instead. Pain au chocolat next time.
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Oh, that poem! Especially:
I stole the night and the stars,
and wrapped them in silver
shaped like the neck of a swan . . .
My 15 Words or Less poem today was about a swan/moon. How odd. She said it much more beautifully than I did, though!
And…now I’m hungry for a croissant! Thanks for hosting, Jama!
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My favorite book growing up was Eloise in Paris. I loved the little bit of French thrown in here and there, so today’s poem I found to be an absolute delight! Thanks so much!
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C’est magnifique, cher Jama. I’ve never dreamed of croissants, but in the daytime, daydreams! There is a French bakery near, with croissants au chocolat. I do not visit often, but when I do… It’s a beautifully creative poem. Thank you for hosting & sharing your sweet post.
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Love the poem, and the croissants themselves! There used to be a little breakfast-lunch place way up in the foothills of Vermont that had numerous croissants, including a raspberry-cheese that was out of this world – and now I want one, thanks!
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Hey Matt,
You don’t have to worry about your waist line yet. Just keep running after the kids. We’re going for croissants if I ever get back to Vermont.
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Oh yum! Those pics look DELICIOUS! Yummy poem, too. 🙂 I just love the Sweet Dreams picture, too. 🙂
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Oh, merci, Jama – très délicieux!
Somehow Poetry Friday and October snuck up on me… I’ll just enjoy other folks’ posts this weekend!
Would you believe that at dinner (Thai restaurant – yum), my hubby told me HE had a dream last night that we went to a shop that served GIANT donuts. I ordered a cranberry orange one or something and made them put it through the glazing machine four times! :0! The dreamy glaze was about 1/4-inch thick, he said….
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What a dream! Giant cranberry orange donut with thick glaze! There’s a picture book or poem in there somewhere. 🙂
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Jama, your post is filled with delights for Poetry Friday but should I expect anything less? Pain au chocolat-one of my favorites that I have tried to recreate with a glorious croissant filled with Nutella and heated in the oven for a melting mouthful. I enjoyed the poem as well and the french words thrown in for a stroll down memory lane.
Today, I am offering a short original poem and an Animoto video on my new gallery, “Finding Fall.” Thank you for hosting Poetry Friday.
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Oh, my mouth is watering for one of these scrumptious looking pastries! My post today is in honor of Marilyn Singer’s birthday. I wonder if she likes croissants 🙂 Thank you for sharing and hosting today, Jama!
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Oh yum. I love croissants. And the wod foofaraw. I have a original haiku: http://maclibrary.wordpress.com/2014/10/02/poetry-friday-autumn/
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“I stole the moon, I stole la lune,
took le voyage dans la lunette.”
What a beautiful wordbreakfast! Thank you once again, Jama. I think I’ll get some croissants for my daughter for her birthday this Sunday. Maybe a really big one to use as a pillow too! 🙂
At The Poem Farm, I have a poem about writing and a Poetry Peek.
Happy Poetry Friday….
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So delicious, Jama! At Booktalking I am sharing By Day, By Night, a picture book poem about people all around the world…
http://asuen.wordpress.com/2014/10/02/by-day-by-night/
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Ooh, I love Amy’s “wordbreakfast” !! Even though that pic of pain au chocolate looks more like dessert to me than breakfast. 🙂 What an exuberant poem. Fun. Thank you, Jama! xo
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I have a Wendell Berry poem today; you can read it here: http://thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com/2014/10/poetry-friday-wendell-berry.html Thanks for hosting! Can’t wait to come back and read your post later!
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“Foofaraw” ? For the Blue Jay!
Luv Diane DeCillis’ poem, “Last Night I Dreamed I Stole The Crossaints & her making up of words.
Appreciations Jama for another tasty post & for sharing a poet new to me.
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Thanks for hosting once again, Jama. Your posts always make my mouth water! And what a wonderful poem to feature. Yum!
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Hi Jama! Loved your post! There’s not much that I enjoy more than a chocolate croissant. The poem is wonderful. (I am fresh out of poetry today, so no post from me…)
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I have some left over store bought croissants in the freezer–mmmmm. Could I just pop some dark chocolate inside and rewarm it all? Oh, I received my book from you, GOODNIGHT MR. DARCY! Love it all! And small pictures of all the things we could say “Goodnight” to on the inside cover and pages! Can’t wait to share it. Thank you, thank you, Jama!
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Glad the book arrived safely, Tamara! You must have a little Mr. Darcy party at your house now :).
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Tea and croissants! Ooh la la! Thanx for hosting, Jama. An Emily Dickinson poem she elegantly wrote in pencil inside an envelope over at the Florian Cafe: http://floriancafe.blogspot.com/
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Thanks for sharing the poems and the treats!
I posted The Lady Visitor in the Pauper Ward by Robert Graves at Bildungsroman this morning.
http://slayground.livejournal.com/790723.html
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Mmmm. Chocolate croissants are a must on this rainy day in Georgia. Rainboots on, armed with umbrella, must find chocolate croissants.
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I may have to run out for a croissant. Delicious poem and post- as always!
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Thanks for hosting.
My selection is “Poetrees” by Douglas Florian.
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My Nutella on whole wheat toast this morning is the closest I’ve come to a chocolate croissant in a long time…now I’m going to have to go and get one for myself! Lovely poem, Diane. Thanks for sharing it, Jama!
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It took me years to like croissants – which always staggers people – but those with the little rose sprinkles look quite doable! I have Mary Oliver’s The Journey for PF this week. Thanks for hosting.
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Oh, Jama, I’m so hungry! 🙂 Thanks for hosting and for the delightful feast.
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Thanks for hosting us Jama. Trust you to give us a foodie delight. I’m sooo hungry now and my waist doesn’t thank you. But I do love the idea of stealing the food and taking a journey with it. (More fun than the dish running with the spoon.) I have a fun (I think) exercise this today.
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hen it comes to food, “stealing in French” is best! What a delicious post, Jama !
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It’s 10 O’Clock…still a few hours left in this Poetry Friday for my quick addition of a single line by EB White?? Please also note, that reading “The Night I Stole the Croissants” late at night has driven me into the pantry where the only sweets available are raisins and two squares of unsweetened baking chocolate…
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Love the teddy with a chocolate croissant pillow and a fall blanket. Now if I just had a chocolate croissant!
Finally posting about our magical night with Ted Kooser. It’s still early on the West coast.
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I love croissants. My favorite appetizer. The poem made me hungry.http://mary-anderingcreatively.blogspot.com/2014/10/day-4-simple-need-met.html
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AWESOME! It’s great! 😀
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Yummy post! Thanks for hosting!
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