Best Louisiana Poems
"There are those to whom place is unimportant,
But this place, where sea and fresh water meet,
Is important ---"
From "The Rose", by Theodore Roethke
Chilly late October;
thin morning fog banks
the roadside, cloaks
a trickling bayou...
in the thickets of dense trees,
the wispy tufts
top man-high
goldenrod, Queen Anne's lace,
dried-out thistle stalks...
A school bus, solitary,
yellow, passes on
skinny black asphalt
where wet spots reflect
the newly risen sun.
Rustles of high,
green cane fields and
intermittent bird songs
interrupt pervasive quiet...
Timelessness, and solace --
calming, soothing --
a Louisiana bayou:
Bayou Sale.
Bienvenue en Louisianne, ma bonne cher!
You're here for the Strawberry Festival Fair?
Well c'mon! Drop your stuff and pull up a chair
Bring all your buddies and see if we care
It's party time in Ponchy, Lou-isianne
Three hundred thousand packed in one tiny town
Come in shorts, a bikini or just a nightgown
We ain't gonna' care, no we ain't gonna' frown
So don't you dress up now, ya'll come right on down!
It's party time in Ponchy, Lou-isianne
Food everywhere that you sure won't refuse
(If you got the money, there's plenty of booze)
Lotsa' good music that will knock off your shoes
Cajun and country, rock & roll and da' blues
It's party time in Ponchy, Lou-isianne
So come on now, Sha! What the heck you wait for?
Don't make me DRAG you out on to that floor!
We'll dance away the night we'll party til four
Jump up the next morning and dive in for more
It's party time in Ponchy, Lou-isianne
Ponchatoula, LA USA
Murdered me with your love
Murdered me with your lies
I could see the rage when I looked into your eyes
You told me that you loved me
but I just wanted to leave.
"Why can't you just be happy" you ask
While pushing me to my knees
Always playing the victim
You're good at playing that game
Lies of mistreatment; lies and untruths
All I ever wanted was away from your abuse.
That night I planned to leave
That night my plan was perfect
But you found out and rallied your crew
You said I couldn't leave, you said we weren't through
I managed to escape you
And locked myself in a room
But you had other plans
And I knew my fate was doomed
You pryed open my door
And I tried to keep it shut
But your crew breached the second entry
And I knew my time was up
You stood behind the gun;
You pointed it in my direction
You pulled the trigger;
And took my life
You took it with just one finger
You claimed my death was suicide
But we both know the truth
You continue to play the victim
But now they're on to you!
Written By: Kristin Bordelon
Dimly lit, I sit
in a Mexican kitchen
near the Tropic of Cancer.
A TV is tuned
to inane noises;
dogs at my feet,
oranges in a bowl
on a table:
a specific place and time.
And I am dreaming --
dreaming of Louisiana
in twilight hours --
dreaming of short winter days and
summer's green, bright mornings.
Country time, mostly empty,
was quiet, seldom interrupted
by human utterance;
but my busy brain
was full of fantasy
and subterfuge.
The world was new, big,
and yet to be explored;
possibilities seemed endless.
Oak and cypress,
willows, pines -- and magnolias --
were all around, and cane fields
stretched for miles.
Change was slow in coming
and childhood lasted long.
The bayous that had always been there
were there still.
I dream now of Louisiana:
poignant vignettes... dreamy glimpses...
all those slowly fading
recalled moments
of the past...
Heading east, after Arizona,
through New Mexico and past
the wide Lone Star state,
greens shade from dull to bright.
The desert was pale pastels
and heat devoid of moisture.
Here, humid bayou flora flourish
in black and steamy soil where
hurricanes hit the coast, winds
flatten sugar cane, and two
rich-brown nutrias cross a placid canal.
Their wakes, on the still surface, are
clean and nearly perfect inverted
V's.
Louisiana Bayou Spanish Moss
So pretty
Hanging from the cypress trees
It grows without showing its age
Never dying it controls the bayou
Hiding nest of the most beautiful birds
It has been home for countless generations
Silver grey by the light of day
It casts ghostly shadows by the light of the moon
Dreamers and poets write of its beauty
Others write of the terror in brings
It is a citizen of an ever shrinking ecosystem
Vital to the world around it
It is bound to die as the bayou shrinks around it
Does it matter to man?
No, but it does to millions of bayou animals
The ones who count on it for life
The others who use it for shelter
Where will they go?
Gentle April showers tapped on a rusty tin roof
the four leaf clovers already wet from the morning dew
spring forth little one, to a life brand new
Possibly you can be delivered today peaceful and true
the daises whisper your name saying their “I love you”
the cows need milking and the rooster bids you adieu
On this peaceful spring is a farm waiting for you
blue birds spread their wings singing praises too
as a new foal stands near the fence playing peek a boo
The ducks in the pond swim happily two by two
even the ravens in the field caw waiting for a baby born new
come on little girl with scarlet curls show them what you can do
Pink blankets are awaiting to swaddle you, not blue
the barn is excited for changes even Lucy goose
from a little gypsy dancer dancing to cows moos
On this grand April day peace abounds with her fruits
she will grow up in a barn dancing telling her truth
even though she may be but one she knows...
"Peace begins with me, but also with you,
5-19-2012
Wandering through the bayou,
wrapped in its eerie embrace.
Mysterious and strange--
a magical place.
Never seeming to change,
even as seasons come and go,
swampy waters ebb to and fro.
Like long-lost daughters,
gnarled courtly cypress trees
rise from black, murky waters.
Draped lovingly in Spanish moss,
swaying softly in the breeze.
Butterflies float across
as gentle winds ruffle their leaves.
Bouquets of wild hibiscus fill the air,
mingled with sweet azaleas blooming there.
Bullfrogs croak and crickets chirp--
the bayou is awash with soothing music.
As dragonflies flit the cattails, elusive,
water moccasins slither at your feet,
or lurk above you in the trees.
Just as the sun begins to sink low,
comes the faint sound of a fiddle and bow.
The gator comes out of hiding,
rising from the dark waters below--
looking for his meal and smiling.
With snapping jaws, a deer is caught,
then taken below, where he will rot.
The moon rises high into the night,
as fireflies glow in the twilight.
A voodoo queen slips into sight--
with gnarled hands, she rolls the bones.
Whispering cryptic words, she softly moans,
tenderly caressing her snake,
wrapped around and about her neck.
A coon hound whoops it up.
The gnarled trees cast spooky shadows.
Is that the ghostly apparition of Jean Lafitte--
who managed to escape prison and gallows?
Did you bury your treasure in the water or weeds?
As the wind moans softly, it’s time to turn home,
where you can fill your belly with spicy gumbo.
Alesia Leach © 10/2014
Can you hear the church bells ringing, along the Mississippi Bayou,
Or smell the fragrant perfume of the spring magnolia’s in
Full blossoms bloom, oh how sweet the air of Louisiana,
It calls unto this country girls inner soul, come home my
Child here all are welcome.
Beneath her Spanish moshes long eye lashes of beauty,
A queen of southern charm does exist, mystery’s elegant
Enchantress the bell of New Orleans, dancing under her
Masquerades mask of perfection.
The river boats stream along the sandy banks of the delta,
Brushing against the currents of fortunes favor,
Ever clicking, rattling the timbers of the shoreline,
In the wakes quaking divide, amidst the hushes rush broken,
Behold the bounty of the mighty river, in the golden
Twilight’s hour just before dawn.
Steeped in tradition’s ethnic flavor of the French
Cajun blend, what a spicy mixing's gumbo,
Of history and culture, a tasty recipe placed on
The menu of life done the southerner way.
Thrown are the nets of discovery,
On this ever changing landscape of natures
Wilderness left wild and free, as the winds
Blow through the willow pines, echoing down
The swampy essences of the haunting bayou.
Cotton Plantations, civil war monuments,
Your history is the stuff of legends and mythology,
Textured, layered upon the historic bricks of
A foundation of freedoms calling, in this
Place called America.
To walk in the footsteps of mine own four
Fathers, step by step you’re the legacies
Treasury for future generations to come,
So they may experience the old world
Flavor of a nation’s past, preserved in this
Garden of history, known as Louisiana.
Can you hear the church bells ringing, along the Mississippi Bayou,
Or smell the fragrant perfume of the spring magnolia’s in
Full blossoms bloom, oh how sweet the air of Louisiana,
It calls unto this country girls inner soul, come home my
Child here all are welcome.
BY: CHERYL ANNA DUNN
Snow,
never Heard of that
I all hear About
is that Louisiana rain
oh Louisiana
u know
that state
with an event called mardi gras all year round
and we just live in the swamp
yeah
it’s that state
the withholder of fluxuating humidity
never known from peeps from the other states
he he he
its extremely unique
its all untold by that Louisiana rain
you really have no idea what it’s like
how upsetting
how disappointing
come live it through my eyes
no I don’t live in New Orleans
that’s not the only place
in Louisiana
though it’s a common mistake
but if I don’t live in
new Orleans
I must be a swamp
Rug rat
With an undefined education
Wrong
Totally wrong
Im the girl that knows about that Louisiana rain
I have an accent
That has a drawl
Though This place its
Almost as south as it gets
Just
Don’t include
Florida in the mixing pot
We are also the only
State with a parish instead of a county
Aren’t you intrigued?
Don’t forget the home of gumbo
Rue and our famous jambalaya
Also Lets not forget crawfish cause that’s just the best
we also live in a boot hard to forget
though Our Louisiana rain
just never told you
Shhh it’s a secret
Its called Louisiana
the Louisiana rain
What's go great about New Orleans, Louisiana, is that of its jazz music and its voodoo culture. The city has been known as "The Big Easy" since the 1800s. It seems that all of the tourists from across the United States have considered New Orleans their favorite vacation spot. There's always a Mardi Gras every day, we've got people throwing beads at each other, jazz musicians playing their instruments (the saxophones, trumpets, etc.), and people dress in costumes every single day. But what's so great about New Orleans, Louisiana, most of all is that when spring breakers come to the city for spring break, even when they're still going to college. Everybody knows that the Big Easy is also known for its Cajun cooking, especially when the chefs are known for making a lot of jambalaya, gumbo, and a lot of Cajun foods. And what's so great about New Orleans, Louisiana, is when MTV was there, especially when the MTV network executives had been recording episodes of "The Real World:" one back in 2000, the other was back in 2010. New Orleans, Louisiana, is the strongest city in America, even though it was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina back in August 2005. But the famous street best known by New Orleans, Louisiana, most of all is the French Quarter and and one of New Orleans' favorite landmarks is the St. Louis Cathedral. And the New Orleans Arena and the Louisiana Superdome are home to the New Orleans Hornets (NBA-National Basketball Association) and the New Orleans Saints (NFL-National football League). Even the late Louis Armstrong was from the city. Well, I hope to go to New Orleans, Louisiana, one day. And if the City of New Orleans were to stay on the map for a long time, it's going to be like a Mardi Gras on a Saturday night and Fat Tuesday in the afternoon.
The sun rises with unrehearsed drama
as an egrets wings its way gracefully
across the canal saturated
with lily pads near to bloom.
Nearby the cypress trees weep
in Spanish moss along the shoreline---
their knees rising daintily just above
the murky water line.
A sudden gust of wind carries with it
the fresh scent of rain falling
somewhere nearby---
wafting softly with it the smell
of vegetation in stages of decay.
Frogs croaking in the chorus line
in early celebration of showers
promised on the morning breeze
adds a musical touch to the scene.
Copyright © 2013 Debra Squyres
would marry any
any girl from baton rouge
the private open house
Louisiana Litany
Bobby Jindal
Appeases christian rightists unlike William Tyndall.
Thinks Presidential aspirations a plus
To bring budget woes to US.
Strong like the waves that crash upon the shore
Deep as the river beneath a tossing barge
Long like the nights as we wait out the storms
And true as the love we have for the babes in our arms
The spirit of a warrior standing ready in his armor
The faith of a Pastor while comforting congregation members
The eyes of a mother that chooses to see only hope
And the strength of a father protecting his family's home
Louisiana's children, up until the end---
Prove over and over that our Faith won't be bent
We've adapted and created our ways of living
Picking up the pieces when Mother Nature comes at us again
We hurt when she hurts and bare the brunt
Of the forces she spews and the courses she runs
Her anger we feel in the gusts of wind
Her joy we receive during those summer's that won't end
Bliss she shows us on the perfect spring days
Just as we catch her tears when she lets go the rain
She's made our skin tough through the breath she shares
Humid and dense in our heavy air
Just as she can let go the wrath of a jilted Queen
We use the lessons she's instilled in us to conquer defeat
She may send down the rains and conjure lightening to match
And we may hear her anger in her thunderous clap
She may push through a wind to show us once more
And let loose all her might with a powerful storm
But she forgets, Mother Nature, you see
That her past runs through you and it runs through me
A direct line has been made, like the Mississippi to the Gulf
Her ways have led us to know just what we're made of
For through the years and down the lines
Cajun Country's people have risen each time
Our defenses may be a direct result of her hands
But our spirit we derive from our place on this land
And Mother Nature may be an ever present influence
But we're children of Louisiana and that means we'll always come through it
Rooted in this soil, in the heritage it holds
Grateful and honored for the blessings we've been bestowed
Generations as far back as one could see
Our ties are just as bound as these ancient Cypress trees
Rise up Louisiana with the dawning of new light
May your pain be healed and hearts filled with might
And as the last bit of dew dries up with the sun
Feel the embrace of your family in this rooted home you stem from