Southwest Mesas and other Mesas; Poetry on Mesas

Took this photo of Southwest Mesa, which just made me curious about mesas around the world. I took a little time to explores mesas beyond the Southwest, highlighting notable regions and sharing poetry that celebrates these flat-topped mountains.

Mesas Around the World

When thinking of mesas, the red rock landscapes of Arizona and New Mexico often come to mind. Yet, mesas also appear in other continents, each with distinct cultural and natural significance.

• Venezuela: The Gran Sabana region is home to the tepuis, which are table-top mountains similar to mesas. These ancient formations rise dramatically from the jungle floor, often shrouded in mist.

  
  

• China: While China does not have mesas in the classic sense, it features extensive plateaus and broad highlands. The Loess Plateau and the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau offer vast elevated landscapes that inspire a rich tradition of landscape poetry.

  
  

• South Africa: Table Mountain in Cape Town is one of the most famous flat-topped mountains worldwide. It dominates the skyline with its broad summit and often cloud-covered peak, making it a natural symbol in South African literature and poetry.

  
  

These regions show how mesas and mesa-like formations connect people to nature’s vastness and inspire artistic expression.

Poetry Inspired by Table Mountain in South Africa

Table Mountain stands as a powerful muse for poets. Its flat summit and the clouds that often crown it create vivid imagery that resonates with the idea of a mesa.

One poem credited to Wilma Neels begins with:

“She’s covered in clouds today

looks like the table is set

in all her glory …”

This simple yet evocative verse captures the mountain’s flat top as if it were a table laid out for a grand event. The clouds become a natural decoration, enhancing the mountain’s majesty.

Another poem, The Table Mountains of Cape Town by Ifedayo Oshin, uses lush language to describe the mountain’s beauty:

“…Where mountains wear crown of splendor

Adorned with shimmering brightness of early morn sun…”

“…When heaven’s tip kisses mountain top…”

Oshin’s words paint the mountain as a masterpiece of nature, crowned by light and sky. The flat summit becomes a throne where earth meets heaven, a metaphor that resonates with the mesa’s iconic shape.

These poems show how a mesa-like mountain can symbolize grandeur, mystery, and a connection between land and sky.

Chinese Landscape Poetry and Plateau Imagery

In China, the concept of a mesa expands into broader landscape poetry traditions. The classical Shān‑shuǐ (山水) poetry, meaning “mountains and waters,” celebrates natural features such as mountains, rivers, and plateaus.

Wang Wei (701–761), a master of this tradition, wrote poems that evoke solitude and the vastness of nature. His work often reflects on mountains and rivers under changing skies, creating a mood that aligns with the feeling of standing on a high plateau or mesa.

Contemporary Chinese poet Yu Jian also draws on natural imagery in his work. His poem Rivers references the flow of water through landscapes shaped by mountains and plateaus, connecting the physical terrain with human experience.

This tradition shows how broad, high landscapes like plateaus and mesas serve as powerful symbols in poetry, representing endurance, solitude, and the passage of time.

The Southwest Mesa Experience in Poetry

Returning to the American Southwest, mesas have long been a source of inspiration for poets who live among or visit these landscapes. The mesas’ flat tops and sheer cliffs create dramatic scenes that invite a moment of awe.