We drive slowly. Lining both sides of the street are homes coming undone at the seams and parked cars, many just rusting hulks, wrecked and stripped. Women sitting on porches eye the neighborhood’s activities and note our passing. Kids walk aimlessly down the street. It is a hot and humid Saturday afternoon.
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Categories: Culture · Home Turf · Literature · Travel
Tagged: Fundred Project, lead contamination of soil, Louisiana, Mel Chin, New Orleans, poetry, Safe House
Recently, I visited New Orleans with my friend Diana who had been urging me to make the trip for a while. She was eager to introduce me to some of the work and people there. This city hits you smack in the face. It is a city of tragedy and crisis, of resiliency and redemption. It is a city of music where just about everyone can beat a rhythm or create a song. It is a city of down-and-outers and those who make miracles. Not for those who like tidiness, it is a messy city of splintered wood and unkept promises, of dreams and good works.
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Categories: Daily Life · Travel
Tagged: children, Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana, Mississippi Gulf coast, New Orleans, stories, Travel
