Coco

i saw the girl they called Chanel
she loved both food and wine
and lonely artists who often didn't seem too well
but she was a successful seamstress
who made a living from her tight knots and jersey stitches
while she wore a little black dress
and a wild French hat designed to look like a Parisian celebrity
in her very early days
she took a lover whose name was Igor Stravinsky
for a night they made piano music on the stage
while she adored his fine notes,
his character and gentle playing of each page
and like a prodigal son his fingers had an angelic grip
with intelligence and special charm;
she held him tightly afraid that he might soon slip
yet he wasn't the only affair
who gave her little hot body attention
others lavished time and ample financial care
their physical qualities meant less to her
and humble origins were allowed
as she traveled from orphanage to designer fur
with a daily fondness for injected morphine
yes, she became a daunting woman who had a taste
for the companionship of poets who made the scene,
and of Grand Dukes and progressive art books;
she coveted Pierre Reverdy, a Surrealist,
in spite of his slovenly Napoleonic looks
and held him closely as he grew old,
a lay monk in a monastery,
proving that loyalty in friendship was her favorite gold.