Mon Âme Et Conscience

A long, long time ago, I was living in France, in a state of youthful bliss and earthly pleasures.

In the mornings I’d go to the café, where I would order a café crème and a croissant. I’d grab the newspapers when I wanted to know what was going on with the world. I’d do a light read but move on fast to the culture pages, to see what movies I would go and see that week.

I’d have a laugh with the locals, then walk to wherever my life was taking me at the time.

In the evenings, I would meet my friends for a glass of wine. Sometimes, we would talk politics and have heated conversation all through the night. Never would we have a fall out over different opinions.

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My friends and I came from the same background. I’m thinking particularly of my years in the South of France, in the gloriously contrasted city of Marseilles.

We were moving through life with a fierce sense of who we were, of where we stood, and of what the world was.

Then I started moving around. Moving economically. Moving socially.…