Mandela Elegy
On that day in Oakland,
Every concession stand sold your t-shirt,
a silk-screened picture, fist raised
for the last leg of a world-wide tour
Ernest Gaines at Northwestern State in Natchitoches
“He knows a history unknown in history books.”
Buttery Nipples
It was in the South Side Salon in Keithsville, Louisiana where I discovered buttery nipples, a drink that my bartender friends tell me is composed of two main ingredients: butterscotch schnapps and Bailey’s cream.
The 99% in Crossett, Arkansas
When you’re in the belly of the monster You don’t consider if your lipgloss is sticky Or if your hair spray is crunchy Or how Steve Jobs, if he found himself in the same situation, Would’ve connected the dots. Even when distraction and evil influence rule the day, And the EPA is scheduled to show […]
The Bookworm Club: Part I
Cal Robert’s was either a genius or insane. But the general consensus was, “That boy’s crazy.”
Sitting in Duck Country
Find the university police office opposite the Burger King on DeSiard. The library is down the street from the KFC, the Farmer’s Market for satsumas is tucked around the corner from the P.O., but not the one from Eudora Welty’s story, it’s the one that’s here in Monroe. Without numbers, a GPS device is worthless, […]
I Hate Walmart
“I pass an aisle of travel mugs in different colors, and sizes, with Disney characters, Duck Dynasty members, motorcycle riders and flowers growing in orange and purple, overdosing in consumer excess and Walmart is the pusher.” I hate pulling into Walmart’s parking lot in Monroe, Louisiana, where I watch out for motorized patrons who carry […]
Living Around the Bayou
Down the street, rather along Highway 165, I turned off at Cross Keys Bank to open an account and deposit a check from West End Press in payment for my trip to the Albuquerque Cultural Conference. (Maybe my life is changing.) Cross Keys is a local community bank with origins in St. Joseph, Louisiana and was founded […]
Mosquitoes Create Jobs
It’s been a year since I arrived in the northeastern portion of Louisiana, a wilderness and a wonderland to a northerner who has never lived south before. I’ve been introduced to crawfish or “mudbugs” and the proper way to eat them. This involves grasping the outside shell of the tail joint firmly with a thumb […]
Summer Rain
thunders its approach in the wrapping paper of grey clouds, deposits a calling card of silver beads on a chute of grass