Paris is an amusement park

no, it is I who rides this train
who climbs escaliers
that 0.001 billion have done before
and who smells the scents
long since discovered
and who sees the sights
even pompous Americans pay
thousands to witness.

no, it is I who rides this train
I’ve already memorised its
complex labyrinth
I’ve long since observed
the diversity of passengers here
underground.

Funny how little of that boils
to the surface of pop culture.

no, it is I who rides this train
who felt like being
a tourist this evening
in the largest theme park in the world
a melancholy on my face is only because
now I too have witnessed it all.
and know more than the
5.994 billion who aren’t here
of the charade.

as I ride this train
longing for clean laundry
I am happy to be here
unhappy to be the cliché guest
but then again, everyone is.