I adored you in Amsterdam
The summer sun burning my cheeks
As I sat languid on the sidewalk and watched you
Count gable beside gable on cobbled streets
And when the evening was split by neon lights
We held hands and laughed at jaded whores behind window fronts
And peeked into sex shops and hash bars crammed with decadent crowds
It isn’t such a lonely planet you sighed.
In Paris I felt posh and invincible by your side
As you decoded French metro lines and sortie signs
Only to abandon Rue de la Chaussée-d’Antin for a cafe by the Notre Dame
And we shrugged at the serpentine queues at the Louvre and strolled by the Sienne
Where we picked cheap Parisian prints and drank red wine
That went straight to my head as I smiled, mon cheri you are mine.
On the train to Vienna we practiced German from a pocket guide
You said Ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch,
Yes my beautiful I replied
By Stephensplatz when the evening turned to gold
We shared happy stories, strudels and a million thoughts untold
My traveling spirit enveloped a city sublime; my curious soul resounded
every serendipitous find with you by my side
I love you everywhere I discover happily
But most of all I love you by the back door under the creaking tree
Myopic Frames 