The Louvre would have been better had I
come here by myself.

I know why you’re here.
The Mona Lisa calls
your name, coy and quaint
eyes glazed with lacquer
beckoning
behind the bulletproof glass
that curdles her beauty. You want me
to see her with you.



                                                         ­                                           Don’t you?  


But clouded eyes watched
as you passed
The Winged Victory
Liberty Leading the People
Venus de Milo
Six Raphaels and a Michelangelo


just so you could catch a glimpse
of her smirk
behind a masterpiece of spines
and cameras.

So go ahead, call me
stuck up

                                                             ­                                   I don’t mind.

I’ll admire all the beauty you missed
along the way.