Sunset Over Côte St. Luc Shopping Centre

After a blue sky day
a few wispy clouds drift
across the setting sun;
at the bottom of our street
the shopping centre provides
a skyline for the golden glow;
as the sun begins to set
the sky beams with colour—
first going bright with yellow hue
then softening into pink tones
above the grocery store, the pharmacy
and Blockbuster Video. I've watched
the sun set behind rolling mountains,
its beauty reflected on the surface
of a nestled lake; the bountiful
calm of sunset seen twice over,
imaged in the watery mirror.

I've followed the orb of sun
as it sank into the Pacific Ocean,
horizon dotted with western islands,
the entire sky lit up with orange
and gold and yellow—colours lingering
long after the sun has set.
And then the final rosy blush
to echo the maritime refrain:
red sky at night, brings sailor's delight....

Above the Côte St. Luc Shopping Centre
this spectacle of nature is more
mundane, the backdrop of commerce,
daily shopping and parking lot
utilitarian in design and function.
And yet, after the heat of a summer's day,
this miracle: all the glory
of sunsets I've viewed in scenic
landscapes recreated in the sky
above the IGA and Rona Hardware.
This benediction of light
offers both pleasure and beauty,
making a pause in the cycle
of day to evening to night,
while the sun sets in splendour
over Côte St. Luc Shopping Centre.

Copyright by Carolyn Zonailo: www.carolynzonailo.com, 2009