0. Before the Honour Gate
City of perspective, built on axis.
And dreams of untouchable vanishing points.
Here you rise high.
At the middle of modern marshland, moral compass in your hand.
Cross your formidable heart and quote “L’État, c’est moi."
Now you welcome us.
Before your prominent palace, monarch to peasants.
To an upcoming equestrian event.
———–
1. Waiting for tickets in Honour Courtyard
A long castle line drawn by unprepared waiting guests.
Enfolded within the echeloning open space.
Enveloped by figural facades and edges.
The summer sun turned the courtyard into a glittering jewelry box.
Embellished with gilded flowers and window frames.
Engulfed in architectural debates and stifled voices from the past.
Inside, people watched in awe, in hunger, turning round and around.
———–
2. Standing at the top of Latona Stairs, looking at the distance
The palace became an object behind me.
An elongated mirror reflecting the garden and the city.
The trident of monarchy broke the order of feudalism into a landscape of absolute regime.
A visual representation of infinite power and personal will.
Look at what supports the sky.
A grand pillar of lawn and water ornamented by colonnades of statuettes and trees.
———–
3. Approaching Bacchus Fountain
Got thirsty by the long walk.
Topiaries of poplar trees stood on sides like formidable castle walls.
The oppressed shadows provided me no comfort.
I stopped and watched the god and the satyrs feasting in the middle of the pond.
Tipsy from grape vines and drunk on golden ecstasy.
I still had no urge to cross that still water and lay among the purples.
But my eyes were tired of choosing which way to go.
Now there were, in front of me, four.
———–
4. Watching Mirror Pool’s display
Time was the worker who waved flags.
To signal the pools and fountains when the water to be saved.
But visitors came and went, like the temper of the king to his maids.
It got bored at playing the rhythmical games.
That’s what I felt as I sat watching the show.
Unlike fireworks, the whim was not even satisfied before the last pattern fell.
Why did it play a musical of George II, a king from England?
———–
5. Under the maple-leaf plane tree of King’s Garden
A brief moment of peace was found under the massive tree crown.
The rustling sound reminded me of the tranquil countryside outside the town.
Or even further, the golden fields lying at the foot of the Alps.
Your ancestors might come from there.
Everyday watching kids lying under with their bicycles leaning on their sturdy bodies.
They got sleepy after chasing the maple leaf flowing down the gurgling stream.
———–
6. Echoes in Chestnut Grove
Gallery of verdant greenery. Garden of clandestine meetings.
If the fountains on both ends started working,
That would be the signal of our private party.
Things go wild between these chestnut trees, my lady.
Between those busts and statues, under their philosophical gazes and their muscular physiques.
Knowledge and lust flow inside the intertwining marble veins.
Here, just you and me, inside this church of worship.
No one, even after our death, would get a hint.
———–
7. In front of Apollo’s Fountain
The labyrinthine paths and groves came to an end.
I walked towards the water edge and met the god himself, face to face.
Your strength was so great that you could hold four divine horses and the national identity, in one hand.
Your crown was supposed to be the setting point of the sun and the final destination of endless glorious story.
But look at that, what’s standing on your crown?
Not that waterfowl.
It’s a colossal arena.
The dressage competition will be held there.
In summer 2024, the 33rd Olympic Games.
———–
River on Baltic Sea 
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