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II.
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II. |
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Allysa 
since 1999-11-09
Posts 1952In an upside-down garden 
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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. |
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| © Copyright 2006 Allysa - All Rights Reserved | |||
Midnitesun
since 2001-05-18
Posts 28647Gaia |
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... |
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serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
*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  |
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serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
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* |
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nakdthoughts Member Laureate
since 2000-10-29
Posts 19200Between the Lines |
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 |
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Allysa
since 1999-11-09
Posts 1952In an upside-down garden |
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. |
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serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
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. |
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Marshalzu
since 2001-02-15
Posts 2681Lurking |
Great writing Allysa  Andrew |
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Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
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. |
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nakdthoughts Member Laureate
since 2000-10-29
Posts 19200Between the Lines |
It takes everything, leaves nothing But the stains on my feet rereading you..loved this line :hug: M |
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Juju Member Elite
since 2003-12-29
Posts 3429In your dreams |
NIcely done, -Juju -<>-~-<>-~-<>- |
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Ratleader
since 2003-01-23
Posts 7026Visiting Earth on a Guest Pass |
.....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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