st. henri subtlety

walking from home, across the decarie divide between ndg and westmount, through the dripping stone clad curvature of the cn underpass, underneath layers of the ville marie expressway to the left appears the framed bright orange sign for home depot, while straight ahead at the traffic lights the burnt remnants of a church stand against the evening sky… in the past weeks of living back here in montreal, just up along the crest which divides st. henri from ndg and westmount, i have found myself frequently walking down glen street, despite the starkness of cars passing overhead, and the gray dominated pallet of the highway. the strange contrast of aging houses, set so close to the rising length of polluting passing cars, and the cardboard copy conformity of that sprawling phenomena, a home improvement store, with its spreading flat shape, demarcated against the renovated loft space, home to artistic endeavors has a strange and subtle appeal.

there is something tangible about simply walking here, in a community with few pretensions, the little park across from the burnt shell of the old catholic church, on this chilly november evening is just about to be livened by a colorfully clad little lady running towards the swing set, as her mother watches. the evening sun, slowly covers the walls of homes with a warm yellow hue, as people rightfully remain indoors, and my hand slowly stiffens around my camera. over the years these streets down here have changed, as old industrial building are transformed into space for new media installations and art galleries. but the local portuguese restaurant still remains, and if it were not quite so cold, i would walk down to notre dame, for the best deal on either breakfast or poutine, depending on which end of the day takes me there. it seems simpler to exist here, though starbucks has encroached on the bus stop booth, as all over the city, it is framed by layers of graffiti. the neighborhood depanneur stands across from an old boarded up building, coated in layers of posters, and paint. perhaps being on the other side of the tracks allows you to gaze up at the farce of capitalism, rather than perching above with all the expected disdain for simplicity. i can’t help but feel at home amongst the rebellious clash of monotonous graffiti, the stark open space between the old industrial building, slowly being rebuilt and reused, and paper cut out wallflowers adorning the back wall of someones home.

a few more thoughts written by sarah.