Mont Royal
Orange sunset shines
on Mont Royal’s solid floors
as the hotness cools.
The wind blows away
green leaves into the city’s
buildings and its streets.
The clouds turn greyer
as the sun changes the sky
from blue to orange.
Distant fog covers
the houses far from Downtown—
building lights appear.
Day slowly descends
beneath the city’s surface—
night comes closer.
Twilight sets upon
dim lights on the forest hills—
insects loudly buzz.
The moon arises
as it brightens Mont Royal’s
white rocky surface.
Vehicles pass by
where their headlights can be seen
glowing from above.
Summer evening comes…
Leaving the mountain’s forest—
with light poles in view.
Comments
Eden
September 4, 2021Mount Royal is a strange and mystical thing in the heart of Montreal. When walking through it, you often forget you’re in the middle of a roaring, evermoving city. Once at the top of the trees, you no longer feel like you are in this gigantic town but rather wavelengths above it; like you’re just a bird on a telephone wire watching it move below. I think this poem does an excellent job trying to describe a scene of nature surrounded by an urban one. The last verse especially does a phenomenal job capturing that. Another thing I loved about this poem is that there is an unmistakable attention to detail so vivid that it truly makes you feel like you are watching this scene unfold before your very eyes. Not only are you watching it, but you are also hearing it and feeling it with lines like “as the hotness cools” and “Insects loudly buzz”.
Olivier D.
September 8, 2021This poem did a great job of making me remember memories I had forgotten. Most of the people living in Montreal have experienced this exact scene at least once in their lives. The mesmerizing view of something that doesn’t quite fit, something that offers some change in this otherwise monotone environment of the city. This comes in the form of a large forested hill, in the center of a steel jungle. I think you grasped that sort of picture extremely well in your writing, providing the reader a familiar and nostalgic experience. Shepherding your limited words into meaningful verses that grant the audience that feeling of home. I particularly adored the transition of light in the poem. From the natural radiance of the sun to the artificial illumination of the manufactured beacons of the city. Further improving the pre-existing contrast of nature versus manmade.
Mélodie Martin
January 23, 2022This poem made me see other perspectives on Montreal. The use of details in this poem makes me visualize what is being seen. To me, being raised in a small town far away from Montreal, I never liked the city. It always made me anxious, stressed, paranoid and claustrophobic. Although this poem makes me visualize the city in a different point of view, a calming view. It surprises me that a city can be described so calmly and so beautifully. What stood out to me even more in this poem is the combination of nature and buildings. Of course, I know there is nature in the city although in most descriptions, cities are described with tall buildings, small streets, traffic, chaos, pollution and frustration in the community. To see nature being used in this poem makes me interpret Montreal differently. The city may not be my cup of tea although, it is not such a terrible place. There can be peacefulness around, places to breathe, to relax, to have fun and to live freely.
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