(sidenote: i think it's unfinished.)

them levvies broke long time ago
& them poor people been drownin
survivin
floatin' on make shift jobs
shuck & jivin
for us camera clickin tourists
tossing quarters in the wishing well of their eyes

they been stranded

wading on jackson square
with concrete feet
to catch a whiff of begients off of our outsiders breath
when we asked stupid questions about creoles, cajuns & where's the best place to get
po' boys

they were always missing their babies

teaching them to fiend for themselves with smiles
& an empty cigar box at their feet
these muddy water colored children
been tapping dancing with hunger
living off of bourbon street
strays
picking prayers outta pockets

they been lootin

trying to steal back their pride
they been lost
home & heritage turned watered down labyrinth
pushing them further to the outskirts
resident floater we made them

they been afraid

fearin god couldn't hear their pleas over the hoots & hollers
of college co-eds gone wild
& every morning they realized they were forgotten
left over
littered
hurricane & gernade keepsakes
tossed aside
because there was no room left
in the suit case

they been sucking up ignored air

stepping over human waste & the walking dead
at bus stops all along canal & rampart street
waiting in their bordered skin
to get somewhere else
less crowded

& it has never been a secret

that they lived below
sea level
only protected by hope
that some day
things would change
drastically.

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www.sheflypaper.com