Paris
City of Love
But romance resides within one's self
The language of love kept secret until translated through Google
We are secrets kept by each other under lock and bridge
Love drunk off cheap champagne under rich cultural monuments
Monumental adventure
Found on the steps of the Sacred Heart

America
Land of the free refills
And home of the brave- turn on red
Daily luxuries taken for granted
Free toilets are foreign abroad
Like a bagel in the morning
Things we've accustomed ourselves to vanish outside
Made up borders of land

Abroad translates to another world
Where toilets are holes in the ground
And Chipotle's not a chain but a seasoning
Well-behaved pups inside establishments
In countries far older than the one we've come to know

Response to William Hazlitt
You say that a companion is distracting,
But what's a journey with no one along for the ride?
I understand the sentiment of solitude
The most liberating, non-worrisome place can be found within your own thoughts,
yet doubles as the darkest place if overstayed
And on a journey I find that the company you keep is wrong
Only when in the presence of "right" people does company trump loneliness
The "right" company does not require the small talk you speak of,
but enlightening, enriching dialogue
And at times silence is saying just enough.
Proper company will energize and inspire your true self
while singing, jumping, and laughing alongside without judgment
And if truly the "right" company, you will never want to journey without them