No one seems to see me or show me any respect. I’ve stood here for over 30 years beautifying my little corner of Montreal, and you’d think I would get some sort of recognition, some sort of accolade. But no; all I get is the stench from the compost recycle bins and windblown garbage around my feet.
It’s embarrassing. I’m lithe. I’m winsome in my tight-fitting gown. My features are smooth and delicate; my smile is warm and alluring, my long and well-coifed hair frames my face making me attractive, yet demure. You would think with my beauty, I would have a more prestigious location to spend my days… But no, I am in front of a low rent apartment in the Concordia ghetto.
The students at first are drawn to the apartments here because of me; but as soon as the term becomes serious, I somehow become invisible. They do, once in a while, take notice; especially around Halloween if they are having a party and want to impress their friends. Then they put lipstick and rouge on my face and dress me up in a shawl, or maybe paint my face white to look like a zombie and wrap a black cloak around my shoulders.
If you look, there is no indication here of who I am, nor of who made me. I am the pinnacle of my sculpture’s talent, and yet I am as unknown as my creator. I feel like a waif, like an orphan, like a child forgotten at a highway service center by parents too focused on getting gas and hurrying onward to their destination.
Have you noticed the lock on my thumb? It was put there three nights ago, very late. You probably think it’s a love lock; you know, a sign of fidelity between two lovers. But you would be only partially right. I’m not the only bronze statue here on this street. Just a block and a half further down, is a bronze of an older woman holding a tray, feeding a few birds. And though she has an upscale location, in front of a fancy Bed and Breakfast, she is a woman of character and doesn’t let a difference in class, stand in the way of true love. It was with this lock that she made me her beloved.
Author’s Note: This Statue is found on St-Marc Street, just south of St-Catherine. It is also part of my “Street Art in Shaughnessy Village” tour.
She is truly a romantic in the midst of chaos. Too bad about the lock.