Smoke and Silence: A November in Toronto

The chill in the November air wraps around me like an old, well-worn coat as I step out onto Queen Street West, flicking my lighter in the wind. It’s late afternoon, and the sun hangs low over Toronto, casting long shadows across the street as it dips beneath the jagged skyline of condos and towers. The air is crisp and sharp, with a biting edge that reminds me winter is just around the corner.

The cigarette catches on the third try, its ember glowing warm against the fading light. I take a drag, feeling the smoke fill my lungs, its heat cutting through the chill for a moment. I exhale, watching the plume of smoke twist and dissolve into the cold November air. People pass by, bundled in scarves and thick jackets, eyes set forward, faces flushed from the wind, each of them hurrying to some place only they know.

Across the street, the neon lights of a bar flicker to life. I can almost hear the clinking of glasses and low hum of conversation leaking from its doors, even over the noise of streetcars rumbling down the tracks. The city feels both vibrant and subdued, a paradox that only late fall in Toronto seems to capture—alive with people but quiet, as though everyone is storing up energy for the winter to come.

I lean against a lamppost, taking another drag. The wind kicks up, swirling dry leaves along the sidewalk and sending a shiver through me despite my jacket. The CN Tower looms in the distance, its top lost in a low blanket of clouds. Even in its muted, foggy outline, the tower is a reassuring beacon, grounding the city in something familiar as the light fades.

As I finish the cigarette, I drop it to the ground, crushing it under my boot. The ember goes out with a final spark, a tiny defiance against the cold that envelops everything. I stand there a moment longer, pulling my collar tighter against the wind before turning back toward the city, the warmth of that single cigarette already fading but leaving behind the memory of quiet, of breathing, of feeling alive in the crisp November air of Toronto.