Dear Nola'

Dear Nola,

I asked myself “How fast can a city move?"

With brass winds blowin’ through the streets,

bluesy rasp scrapin’ throat skin

and wooden sticks bangin’ drums and eardrums the same.

With suede shoes tip-toeing ‘round baselines like youngn’s who made it in a lil too late…

creepin’ through colorful shotguns ever so slow as not to wake ma and pa.

With boils bubblin’.

With watchin’ and waitin’ and hungry eyes gazin’ on.

Mouths waterin’ and fingers awaitin’ the chance to peel and eat and peel and eat.

With Cajun dusted waters singeing lips top and bottom.

With singed lips smackin’ hotter than the outdoors of July.

Cool me down cloud, cool me down...

With rain fallin’ random like beads from balconies and galleries.

Bare it all for me, dear Nola!

Show me you, shameless and worthy of a double-take.

I’ll smile and march along the path of drum majors’ footprints left before me.

Keep playin’ your pretty music.

With joyful horns and sad voices tellin’ your story.

How you derived your bounce from the cadence of wartime.

How you raised so many greats with your sound world-renowned.

How that water spilled and spilled yet you resiliently rebuild.

How you weaved so many languages into one only you can fully comprehend.

Tell me your story in an accent all your own.

Genuinely the "jazz" of vernacular, I do declare

Those intelligent mumbles, chants, and phrases show suitable civic pride.

Who Dat?

That’s Nola, my Voodoo Queen!

Cast your spell, make me destined to dream

of you when I'm away.

With liquor spillin’ from cups like laughter from Bourbon bars.

Laughter howlin’ like improvised notes from the minds of the genius you’ve spawned.

With steam-boats roarin’ and roamin' ‘round river like me ‘round my own petite Quarter.

And I’ll proudly exclaim...

“Bend Mississippi, bend!

While I make this city my friend!

Make it a place to enjoy

again and again!”

Signed Sincerely,

Anyone who’s been!