Montreal - my island city. 1534 : Jacques Cartier plants a cross on the side of the St Lawrence River. A cross stands to this day at the summit of Mount Royal. I am not one for symbols. The cross, the crucifix, the ankh, Robert Johnson’s crossroads: ancient symbols that separate us. East & West. Catholic & Protestant. European & Iroquois. Atheist. Agnostic. Believer. When a people erect a symbol it stands above them even if they seldom notice. I grew up in a brick house on the English side of a divided city. The cross stood at the dividing line. The Quebecois lived to the east. I remember. Memories shimmer, disappear like reflections on the surface of the sea.
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