Nattaproblem

A travel poem by Nattapon Jontom Abbett

Sibling trips at the advent of adventure imbue purpose

Resetting emotional and physical ambitions

Reaching for new air like a quercus

Grasping and searching for significant directions

Traveling back in time of western civilization

London greeted us with musty stone and ashen brick

Industry and advancement rooted in historic privilege

Passengers usurped by modern jeans, instead of Chaplin styled top hats and stick.

Stonehenge lay heavily on the grassy Salisbury plains

A Wiltshire mystery of the Neolithic Bronze age

Deeply rooted, a prehistoric English monument

Well before the English word landed on the page.

Picadilly, Northern, Circle and Victoria Lines

All traversed in a single day.

Westminster Abbey, London Eye, Crown Jewels, Tower Bridge

Then Buckingham Palace. Check. Check and okay.

Big Ben in the rear view, a reminder that time doesn’t stop

We packed and left it behind on our way to Paris.

Moving backwards, into an even older city where fashion allegedly “pops”

Founded by Celtics only to be constructed into fictitious romance.

Breaking through clouds like Louis the XIV broke borders

We landed softly, skid marks leaving behind London’s dust

An air of freshly brewed coffee hit our senses

A sibling nod confirmed a Pain au chocolat was a must.

“Men are more easily governed by through their vices than through their virtues.”

Bonapartes’ urgent words pushing me forward through these conquered lands.

Running under the The Arch di Triumphe engendered hope; win or lose

We were witness to the third most powerful colonizer: grand.

At the Louvre, the Mona Lisa stared through crowds.

Stoic as she was, a portrait captured in time

Moving from Delocroix, Antioch, Da Vinci all on display

Ensnared by prodigious brush-strokes and blades for the divine.

Onward march to the Palace of Versailles where men lived like Gods.

Indulgence to the infinite degree wrapped in gold garlands

Fountain adorned gardens the size of modern suburban compounds

Supreme power decked out on all sides; by a laborer’s hands.

Back in Paris, Gypsies and scam-artists cluster around the Eiffel tower

Watching over the fluctuating tapestry between art and culture.

Horses and food vans surround the Tuilleries Gardens’ flowers

While smells of crepes, chicory and sugar permeate through the air.

In retrospect, a similar sugary smell to Cafe du Monde Crepes

French influence and royal names escaping the European borders

Landing in the Americas, climbing through New Orlean’s streets, steps.

I was struck by a feeling of displacement simultaneous with a familiar order.

From fish and chips, to crepes and chocolate, we enter Italia/A…Roma.

Arguably the pinnacle of European cuisine and art

Italy came with numerous delights

The first of which was the personal airport pickup by our hosts.

Air Italia undoubtedly the most entertaining of flights

Serendipitous gay parades around the Colosseum at sunset, a jubilee.

This sentiment held true throughout all 3 of our Italian nights

For as fate would have it, we also bore witness the 200th Carabinieri Aniversary.

Pope Francis addressed throngs of people in St Peter’s square

A white speck in the distance greeted by cheers from Italians…Romans

Cheering a successful protection agency in the elliptical air

Grateful was I to have witnessed a commemorative event for the ages.

Alas, Zealots, travelers and patriots united in one oval

Passionate gladiators in a modern day colosseum, revering a father figure

Central to a cross, breathing one frequency for all things holy and papal

Like the wine and tomatoes, ingredients for a sustainable future.

Yours Truly,

Nattapon Jontom Abbett