(Here we are again, watching the world from Zotz, New Orleans, Uptown On Oak Street…)

The wind shuffles,
Does the Cajun two-step
On this mostly pleasant
Wednesday afternoon.
Clouds, like wet socks,
Blue and grey,
Hang low,
Moist and dripping
Beneath a sultry summer sun.

What’s left of
Our cool sea breeze
Gives rise
To an afternoon
Of humid nonchalance
And seagull wings
Suspended.

Suddenly,
Adult conversation
And children’s laughter
Is lost to a raucous sound.
Everyone joining in the procession,
As an impromptu second-line downpour
Dances across Uptown.

The weather report:
A steady stream
Of abandoned bicycles
And splashing cars.
This duck’s parade,
A celebration of
All things familiar,
Anticipated,
Rolls on unabated,
Makes us who we are…

Time, almost standing still,
As motor-boated bodies
Disembark,
Umbrellas rising like
Hot air balloons
Most passengers
Unperturbed
With the grace of
Their safe landing.

Carnival-like consumers
Floating here and there.
Audacious smiles
Disappear into
A three block stretch
Resplendent with
An apothecary,
A smattering of
Small restaurants,
Two coffee shops,
Two bars,
The Super Discount Mart,
A half dozen
Clothing boutiques,
A book store,
A barber
And a bicycle repair shop.

And I,
Conversation and table top
Shared
On Zotz high ground,
Display my art outside.
And beneath this
Magic canopy
Visualize acrylic images,
Soak in the soggy vista,
And imbibe
The pleasantries exchanged.

A sigh of contentment,
This NOLA fare.
Thinking:
What we need now
Is another festival!

Perhaps we’ll dedicate this one
To the rain.



Michael S. True
6/14/14