Budapest

Budapest hums to me
my solitary footsteps announce my presence
on the stones of the city
as I make my way through castles
and dilapidated empires.
all the luxary of europe catalyzed on these bridges
and spits from the spires
on the skyline of this city.
I have beaten autumn here
and the leaves have all turned golden
against the gilded grey facades of finery.
the smell of fall swoops beneath my curtain of hair
and breathes on my collarbones.
madama's treble still echoes
in the hollows of my ears,
and though an insistent chill sticks to my skin,
I am increbibly complacent on the streets of Budapest.