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Allysa
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since 1999-11-09
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In an upside-down garden

0 posted 2006-01-25 06:26 PM


II.

The morning after
New Years in New Orleans
My sandals sliding off my feet
As we walk, buying pralines
Stopping to sip chicory coffee
Stuff our mouths full of beignets
Look at paintings, prints in the gallery
And you are careful to avoid
The puddles of dirty water
Pooling in the bricks
Me, I stain my feet with

Plastic cups half full of beer
Mardi Gras beads in the gutters
And litter. Old cardboard. Trash.
I know some of it was here before
But before that, it wasn’t.
And people, on the phone,
They keep asking me
“What is it like?”, “What’s left?”
When a hurricane hits a town
It takes everything, leaves nothing
But the stains on my feet

That don’t wash off in the shower
And I scrub them with soap
Almost wanting the reminder
That I was here, I saw it all
And of course it was after the fact
Of course it affected me
And I could never understand how
People could simply start over
How they could just go on with their lives
When I couldn’t even digest the idea that
these stains were never coming off my feet.  

© Copyright 2006 Allysa - All Rights Reserved
Midnitesun
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Gaia
1 posted 2006-01-26 11:31 PM


what an interesting write this is,
a POV we don't see on TV
(disgusting how that rhymed, unintentionally)
are you still there?
it seems much of New Orleans has yet to begin the recovery process...  

serenity blaze
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since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738

2 posted 2006-01-26 11:55 PM


*tears*

You wrote it so much better than I...

and yanno?

people aren't really starting over.

I fear the demolition hasn't even yet begun.

If you live here?

Then you know.

hugs you

stained feet are for survivors

mine are kinda scruffy too




serenity blaze
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since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738

3 posted 2006-01-27 06:45 AM


bumping this so that it is seen in Today's Topics List--

Because it's better than anything I have read on the subject and my feeble attempts at trying to convey this were merely tears, hitting the keys in unhappy accidents.

I'd applaud but you wrote it so well that...well?

*snaps*


nakdthoughts
Member Laureate
since 2000-10-29
Posts 19200
Between the Lines
4 posted 2006-01-27 07:44 AM


I don't  say this often..I am not sure if ever~~~

this is an amazing write and I could see and feel what you did through your words~~

M

Allysa
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since 1999-11-09
Posts 1952
In an upside-down garden
5 posted 2006-01-27 03:07 PM


I live in Ohio, however, my boyfriend's family is from New Orleans (mostly Baton Rouge), and we went to visit them for New Years Eve. We stayed in the French Quarter, most of which is back open and full of people, a lot of musicians sitting on the streets with pieced together instruments displaying the traditional New Orleans flavor.

We went to Baton Rouge for one day to visit his family and their neighborhood seems to be pretty alright. His grandmother and uncles stayed in their house through the entire hurricane, even when the water started to rise. We also took a drive to see the majority of the damage, the houses where the water marks on the doors start around your knees and, as you drive down the street, it just rises until it marks where it would be over your head. It was unbelieveable. Most of the houses have to be gutted before they can be made livable again. It was unreal.

Thank you all for your kind words. I've been writing a few poems about my visit there, this one was my favorite. It's odd because, although my first visit to New Orleans was after the hurricane, I still fell in love with the city. The people there are absolutely amazing and it's just a fantastic city. I honestly can't wait to go back.

serenity blaze
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since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738

6 posted 2006-01-27 03:35 PM


Let me know if you do.

I know this little blues place that is off the tourist track and you can buy those BIG ASS BEERS (hey mods, that is what they are actually called)

and you, lady, wrote this with such love and pain and yearning I would have sworn you were a native.

Thank you for writing what has been obviously too close for me to see clearly.


Marshalzu
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Lurking
7 posted 2006-02-11 05:24 PM


Great writing Allysa

Andrew

Sunshine
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since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354
Listening to every heart
8 posted 2006-02-11 08:52 PM



This is for both you, and serenity,
who knows I was there
before the storm
and am applauding you for seeing it
for me, after the storm...

with a visitor's eyes...

serenity?

You already know my heart.

Allysa?

Thank you for taking me back to
the French Quarter, once again.


nakdthoughts
Member Laureate
since 2000-10-29
Posts 19200
Between the Lines
9 posted 2006-03-04 09:13 AM


It takes everything, leaves nothing
But the stains on my feet


rereading you..loved this line

:hug:
M

Juju
Member Elite
since 2003-12-29
Posts 3429
In your dreams
10 posted 2006-03-04 02:22 PM


NIcely done,

-Juju

-<>-~-<>-~-<>-  
*    Juju     *
-<>-~-<>-~-<>-

Ratleader
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Member Rara Avis
since 2003-01-23
Posts 7026
Visiting Earth on a Guest Pass
11 posted 2006-10-03 12:18 PM


.....sigh....so many of us (of US!) lost so much so quickly....more than a year later, even an artists' site run from a place a thousand miles away, is somehow palpably less than it would have been....

~~(¸¸¸¸ºº>   ~~(¸¸¸¸ºº>  ~~(¸¸ ¸¸ºº>    ~~~(¸¸ER¸¸ºº>
______________Ratleader______________

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