Eight pieces - or pieces-of-eight*?
Jewellery heist starts fierce debate
Priceless oeuvres again are stolen
Created for who else? Napoleon!
Erstwhile fortress of King’s realm,
The Louvre has French State at the helm;
With its proud heritage on show
No wonder hordes of people go!
But safety measures were not tight
Thieves break glass in broad daylight
Apollon gallery – despoiled!
Macron, once again is roiled!
L’Elysée, shocked, has a red face
Swift hue and cry is put in place;
The perpetrators still unknown …
Shades of Arsène Lupin** roam!
It’s not the first time or the last
That burglars greedy eyes have cast
On treasures which they deftly steal;
Their capture will make top newsreel!
(c) Poet in the woods 2025
* The "piece of eight" originated from the Spanish silver dollar, a coin worth eight reales, minted from the late 15th century. It was cut into eight smaller pieces to make change for smaller transactions, giving it the name "piece of eight".
** Note for the curious: Maurice Marie Émile Leblanc was a French novelist and writer of short stories, known primarily as the creator of the fictional gentleman thief and detective Arsène Lupin, often described as a French counterpart to Arthur Conan Doyle's creation Sherlock Holmes.
