POEM: The Terrace in Montréal

I missed going out so.

The second summer in a row.

After a gruesome year and a half,

The provinces are finally ready to open their gates to each other again.

English and French speakers can now meet and go out together.

I find myself on a terrace in Downtown Montréal,

Enjoying a mojito cocktail with my Québécois friends.

It’s a perfect day, and the mojito in my cocktail refreshes all my senses.

The other patrons are cheerful,

The staff is friendly.

There is an all-hugging good vibe and a feeling of ethereal happiness in the fair city of Montréal.

Such a simple thing, like a drink on a terrace, used to be an unacknowledged privilege,

And now it’s appreciated like a cherished treasure.

The normal is on the horizon,

Impatiently awaited and soon to be welcomed back.

~~~~~~~~~~

From my book of poetry Sunset in Toronto (2021), page 186. I wrote this poem in mid-2021, inspired by a trip to Montréal that summer, when things started returning to somewhat normal after the receding pandemic.