Algerian Wine

One day I saw Jesus on the waterfront in Montreal. He was standing by the railroad tracks that run along Rue de la Commune, looking up at the copper statue of his mother on the roof of Bonsecours Church. The expression on his face was like a book of hieroglyphs, full of meanings if you only knew how to read it.

One day I saw Jesus on the waterfront in Montreal. A little girl of about eight was bouncing her rubber ball along the curb where the cobbles meet the river when it skidded under the railing and down to the deep black water. The tears in her eyes would have broken your heart. Nobody noticed Jesus as he climbed over the rail and walked out across the waves to where the ball was bouncing downstream. When he brought it back to the girl not even the soles of his sandals were wet. He kissed her cheek and brushed the tears away from her eyes, and she giggled, "Merci, Jesu!"

One day I saw Jesus on the waterfront in Montreal. He was sitting on a bench in Place Jacques Cartier, eating a smoked meat hero. The sun was on his face and he looked so happy I couldn't help smiling. He laughed and said, "Man, I've earned this sandwich!"