Ghosts of New Orleans

I, the evil harlot stand tall I, the adulterous shall not fall Thus you've branded thee my name But it is I who will live out your defame You are my master, my country, owner of me For no other reason than money would it be Corruption and law go hand in hand While the blacksmith heats his "incorrigilble" brand Youu dealt me a sentence worse than death Forever a man's slave with every breath Bought and sold, shuffled around Back then the Bayou wasn't even a town We became mothers of women and men Condemned by society for someone else's sin Forever we're unclaimed moms of many All for your greedy mans penny So dear frenchman, madam and sir We were duly punished without murder So many of us innocent victims of you Corrupt officials that sent us to the bayou Blessed were those who passed on during the journey Who were carelessly thrown overboard on a makeshift gourney We were pawed and mauled, beaten and raped For us there was no where to escape The bayou was too wild for a woman to survive So we chose daily to endure punishment or die. This poem is based upon actual historical events that occured while the french government was attempting to develop New Orleans.