Bourbon Street
The early morning sunshine
glistens in the puddles
left by the street cleaners
Discarded beads
gleam from the gutter
purple, green and gold
swept up
with the detritus
of the night before
The late night revelry
has barely ended
The crowds of people
jostling, jeering
mocking and making music
have moved on
taking their rest
avoiding the harsh morning light
biding their time
before regrouping
and heading out again
looking for the next spectacle
Little holds their attention
for more than a few brief hours
Life goes on
And the street awaits
the coming of the night
to do it all again
So it was at Calvary
when the crowd
jostled and jeered
and mocked
and made music
until the spectacle ended
and the people moved on
and the mess
was swept into the gutter
and few were around to notice
the discarded beads
glittering and gleaming
telling the story
of squandered love
and proffered hope.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
this is beautiful, Liz -- thank you!
ReplyDeleteYep, you got both NO and Calvary right. I lived in NO for one year when I entered the convent. It was an interesting place--it has many faces: Those who are natives, those who are first generation and then tourists. Mostly tourists don't get it and even newbee's. There's an oldness that reeks of Beniets and Bourbon and there is the post Karina woundedness. It is the most culturally catholic city in the US and yet the evangelicals have made huge inroads into the culture. My novice mistress was a native of 5th or 6th generation and she used to share her experience of the city with me. She was so saddened when they moved the novitiate up the Mississippi to St. Louis.
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