
Mont Ventoux is like a beacon in this area of France and is known, loved or hated by the thousands of cyclists who attempt to conquer it’s heights on a daily basis. There have been many who never saw the top, the struggle too great. It is a beautiful and cruel mountain and I’m always drawn to it like a ‘bee to honey’ but I’m a walker not a cyclist and I don’t have that need to kill myself in the attempt to tame it. I just love to be one with it. These are my musings………………………..
You stand proud like a sentry
Constant as time
The Bald Mountain;
A homing point on the horizon
You come alive when the sun hits you,
Your white top shining like icing on a cake
Your slopes turning black as the light changes.
To conquer you is the aim of many
Though I just love to be there
Among your trees or sitting on your limestone
Seeing what you see.
Petrach described his ascent and the view he saw
From the Rhone to the bay of Marseille.
It is still the same
With sleepy Sault and Aurel to the east.
“Giant of Provence” you are beautiful, mesmerising and cruel.
Your winds so strong they threaten stability – they are invigorating.
You draw people from near and far.
You stand alone, apart from your brothers and sisters – yet they claim you.
You are a beast, a “Beast of Provence”,
You are Ventoux.
From a selection of original poetry “Musings in Provence 2013