LONDON

The heart 

of the mighty kingdom 

on the banks of the Thames,

its loyal grey river, 

connecting the spectacular bridges 

like a mythical, cloudy fluid!

The tube is a silent dragon, 

crossing the underworld at high speed...

I am arrived from the other corner of the earth, 

At home, at last, with English

though, in all honesty, 

at every street corner, 

I’m bound to express myself,
my sheer excitement and my worships

in a more familiar native tongue.

Above the Millennium Wheel, 

the morning sun is heating up the spirits

Big Ben, the real one this time, 

more majestic than its postcard versions

or the hazy, black-and-white illustrations

in my childhood’s old textbooks.

Carefully synchronizing my heartbeats

with the Londoners’ rhythm of life

I look left, then right 

and cross the avenues and streets 

in front of the patient drivers.

I don't forget to breathe in 

the mystic scents and fragrances of the city, 

thank God for having blessed me

to be here

then follow a new holiday crowd

to an unknown, unmarked,

never-seen-before territory

until the end of the Queen’s Walk

brings me closer to an iconic Tower Bridge.

Speechless and spellbound,

I surrender to the call of the British Museum

and feel I could give my entire life

or spend each and every of my dreams

in this heaven 
of historic modernity,

of epic poetry and sterling politeness,

of monumental cultural heritage 

and breath-taking friendliness and civility.

Here I am, finally, 

on the cobbled streets of the Roman Londinium!

Either on foot or horse-powered, 

I feel alive in the midst

of these life-size concrete, steel and glass pictures,
(no wax models for me, please).

Out in the fresh air, I sit by the lake for a while

then resume my walk in the famous Hyde Park 

on the soft green carpet and its lovely paths

leaving the urban humdrum,

the double-deckers and black taxis behind.
My pleasant stay at the Rose Park Hotel,

the taste of British food, 

the souvenirs I bought for myself
and my dear ones, 

the admiration for the royal family, 
sweet memories of my new American friends 
and their happy, happy smiles,
the photographs we took of each other...

I’ll take them all with me 

to feed my very soul until the day I die.