Here's to cluttered bookshops, lock bridges, good food, and sucking the marrow out of life

Paris. Wow. If it was a holiday, it would most assuredly be Christmas because we all know that Christmas is pure gold. I have been here but a day and a half, and I have already fallen madly, head-over-heels in love with this absolute dream to which they've attempted giving the ordinary name of "city."

Paris has a way of making the mind reel and whirl and twirl. Here I am, sitting in my hotel and unwinding as the day comes to a close, and my mind is still going crazy. You see, I tend to do this thing where I relive the events of the day at night. And frankly, when your day is packed full of exquisiteness from dawn til dark, there is a heck of a lot to revisit. So much grandeur and unfamiliarity and timelessness. And I'm liking it.

There is something about this place that breeds a carefree mentality. Let's just say, if becoming reckless could be seen in a positive light, then Paris has mastered such a concept. What a gift it is to simply wander, to meander, to feel the strange comfort that resides in being lost in a sea of people and being equally at peace with it. It's rather dream-like, I must say.

Today's docket included some noteworthy pitstops, like a visit to the historic Notre Dame. While hunchbacks were nowhere to be found, quite a bit of beauty was. Many pictures were snapped. Too many. But the good kind of too many, I believe. And then came a trip to the infamous "lock bridge." Here, couples usually share a lock with their names written on it, lock it to the bridge, and then throw the key into the river to signify an unending commitment to their love for one another. So naturally, I did one too. Just because. And it was actually pretty neat. Lovely, in fact. From here, we embarked on a little journey to heaven, a.k.a. Shakespeare & Company. It's this bookshop with just about any classic one's mind can implore. Essentially, you're bathing in words, rubbing elbows with the greats, entering a rare wonderland that we have erroneously deemed "boring" as of late. And it was oh so refreshing. Mmm. Delectable.

From there, we shopped and ate. But regrettably, I don't have all day to elaborate. Let's just say, a sizable amount of shopping and eating took place. And it was great.

So far, here's what I've got. Paris is nice, and the living's easy. I am finding that it's a great thing to really live life, to live deliberately. It's okay to just go with the flow. If you walk on a manhole in the middle of a crowded street and your dress blows over your head, just go with it. If you can't understand what the man on the moped is saying to you, just nod and wink. If you can't read the menu, just choose something that looks fun.

It's quite enthralling, all of this. We'll see what the Eiffel Tower & such bring tomorrow.

New York World

New York World

A scrawl and a scribble and a jot here and there;

I’m penning away like I don’t have a care.

Yet my mind is ablaze; my prospects enhance.

“New York City,” I croon, as I rock and I dance.

The subway prods on, undeterred, unafraid.

The tracks are but water, this transit to wade.

Soon the churning allays, the finale in sight, 

With a clunk and a hiss and a well-wrought fight.

Exhausted, it halts, gives a yawn of its doors.

The world just outside, with its bustle, allures.

The doors tip their hats as we travelers embark

Through the station, up the stairs, to the light, out of dark.

I’m enthralled; I’ve made it, no doubt, no exception.

I sigh a sweet breath: “Mmm - smogged to perfection!”

I throw my head back; I pulse with the scene.

My eyes become tangled; too much grandeur to glean.

“Let me soak it all in! Let me revel in this,”

I say, mesmerized by the chaotic bliss.

Buildings, unceasing, some but mere skeletons,

Some gaudy, some meager, some shedding their skins.

Now and then, window panes begin calling their roll.

A faint “Here!” can be heard, drowned out by a lull.

It’s as though they’ve decided to all phone in ill,

Like glass crossword puzzles with spaces to fill.

But out of my trance, I emerge, vastly floored:

The Empire State Building, standing poised, self-assured.

With his pronged cap in place, the suave giant gleams,

So close to heaven, he risks bursting its seams.

Such a dapper old chap, if I must admit.

“He’s so sharp,” I announce, “he could challenge my wit.”

But as things tend to go on a quite stifled street,

I am soon whisked away, other places to meet.

“Taxi! Taxi!” I cry, with a wave of my hand,

Hoping passersby guess that I’m from this land.

One rudely pulls up, a brief dirge of its horn,

Its tattered seats tales of the people it’s worn.

“Times Square?” I inquire, as though it’s old news,

Trying my hand at indifference, dodging childish spews.

In just moments, I’m there; I’m bathing in lights, 

These great man-made stars, making frauds of the nights.

Adhere to the adage that less may be more?

Times Square beckons back, “Well, that’d be a bore.”

But adrenaline can only not sicken so long,

Then my heart longs for simpler, craves a quieter song.

“I’ve got it,” I cheer, and I can’t help but swoon.

“Central Park, here I come! See your darling face soon!”

Another hailed taxi, another coarse ride,

Another hand at composure and nonchalance tried.

But, oh! There it is, music to my eyes.

Central Park, so unrivaled, in much more than its size.

Like a classic novel’s comfort in this high-tech world,

The intimacy of page turning, something tangible unfurled.

For amidst a great city so dead set on bustle,

A reprieve proves a treasure, an escape from the rustle.

To settle on down and revisit what’s known, 

To see nature thrive in a city of stone. 

And that’s Central Park; it gives life to the old.

It refuses to leave life’s classics untold.

Yes; New York has it all; I suppose I’m in love.

In regards to its perks, I’d check “all of the above.”

That day as I left, my mind reeled and twirled,

“New York City?” I asked. “Nah. New York World.”