Paroles

Reading these poems - especially the longer poems - one can easily see why Ferlinghetti was attracted to these poems - there is a significant overlap of poetic sensibilities with those of the beatniks. The opposition of Prevert to war and religion is highly visible but generally not strident. Prevert's use of repetition, the ordinariness of his observations create a very accessible poetry.
As an example "Flowers and Wreathes" explores thought in the image of flower, the pull of beauty and pleasure over reality etc. The poem ends with the following use of repetition: "Because / In their head / Sprouts the sacred flower / The thin little filthy flower / The sick flower / The bitter flower ..."