a backroad journey from Lafayette
over bayous and wetlands and forest
moments of blue grass filters the radio
as narrow roads and endless curves
sway and swerve
the nighttime air hums of insects
and all seems peaceful here

i felt the drain as i crossed the Mississippi
a tremendous pull from the calm
New Orleans busy and bustling
everyone hurtling and darting
where was the slow "Big Easy"

the city downtown gave me agony
squeezing and towering density that suffocated

i wandered north and south
i wandered east and west

brief moments awarded to persevere

once at the lakefront
once at the cemetary

and a walk through a park where
geese and turtles and i felt santuary

by afternoon i melted down
in a fit of impatience with myself
simultaneously a murder cross town
ranked up another statistic

i'm so sorry

cajun crawfish singed my lips
and the gumbo tasted stellar
scratching bug bites on my wrists
i realized how quickly a city
could destabilize and purposely
diminish calmness

i took a deep breath
and exhaled a loving light
into/upon this city of water
then licked the cayenne off my lips