In the opening line of Sarah Rossy’s “Eat the Fruit,” they write “what if the past was just a mirrored future.” The idea of the past being a mirrored future really spoke to me. This poem emerged after reading this piece, and brings to life a drawing I did of my first interaction with my ancestor, and my effort to understand him, his choices. I like the tension in your poem, Sarah, as it speaks to me about the difficulty in walking the line between what I need and what others need. Of the line between reckoning with my actions, my ancestor’s actions, and what is not mine to carry. My ancestor, Reverend Daniel Cock, settled in Truro, in Mi’kma’ki, in Nova Scotia, in 1772 – immigrating from Scotland with his wife, Alison, and 5 kids. He was the first Presbyterian minister in the area. In the years after settling, he actively participated in the enslavement of two women, Deal and her mother (the historical record does not give us her name). He was criticized for this participation by another Presbyterian minister, Reverend James McGregor. This poem, Reflection, builds on the idea of a mirror, to explore how my ancestor took stock of his decisions, but I also see it as an important mirror into how I also reflect on my own decisions in the here and now.
