In the olden days.

Panic. Panic. I felt a little bit of panic.  As if I were caught up in a cattle stampede. It was surreal. A moment to capture.  To embrace. On Christmas Day. In. Of all places. Notre Dame Cathedral. Here I was. Being stampeded. By millions of faithful. From all sides.  Can this be?  ‘Cristina,’ I declared in a shaky voice, ‘We’ve got to flee. I’m uncomfortable.’ But we had no choice. Caught in the flow. In the stampede. In a modern-day Christmas processional. Wasn’t ready for Notre Dame. Not in this way. Give me peace. Solitude. An opportunity to reflect. Spiritually.  That seemed so unlikely. When being frisked. By a gendarme.  Looking for a hidden weapon. Yes. This is the new world.  Makes me wonder. If ever. I’ll see Notre Dame. The way I would have. In olden days. --Jim  Broede