New orleans Poems
Historic New Orleans Streetcars
by Jeffrey Pipes Guice
The Historic New Orleans Streetcars
First drawn by horses in 1832...
Connected Lake Pontchartrain to the Mississippi River
Along beautiful Elysian Fields Avenue...
This was soon followed
By the Poydras-Magazine Line...
And then Lafayette (Jackson) and Nayades (St. Charles),
Totally by design...
......
A Lost City
by Jeffrey Pipes Guice
Cancerous urban decay…
It’s taking over my beloved city…
The politicians truly don’t care…
Collecting more taxes and sitting pretty…
The infrastructure is totally failing…
They kick the can down the road…
Our children’s children’s children…
Will be left to inherit the load…
......
Marie Laveau: The Voodoo Queen
by Jeffrey Pipes Guice
There once was a priestess
Born a long time ago...
A famous voodoo queen...
Named Marie Catherine Laveau...
She was born in the French Quarter
Back in 1801...
And within a matter of years
Her powerful work had begun...
......
All Mules Matter
by Jeffrey Pipes Guice
I’m not a horse…
I am a mule…
I’m not a donkey…
You silly fool…
I’ll let you in on a secret…
My dad is a donkey and my momma’s a horse…
But I love dem both just da same…
And dey love me back, of course…
......
A Mardi Gras Tree
by Jeffrey Pipes Guice
I think that I
shall never see...
Anything as cool
as a Mardi Gras tree...
They grow in New Orleans
nearly every Spring...
As the bands start marching
in full swing...
......
Float Rider Blues
by Jeffrey Pipes Guice
It was my first time riding
In a Mardi Gras night parade
It was hard to hide this wonderful feeling
Of flying high as I stood and surveyed
The night was cool, and the music was funky
The mood was good, and the sky was clear
I was feeling excited to be riding on the float
As I grabbed myself yet another cold beer
......
A Movable Feast
by Jeffrey Pipes Guice
Ridin’ round New Orleans on my Vespa
With my baby holdin’ on real tight
Life should be nothin’ if not a movable feast
Lastin’ all day and trippin’ into da night
Headin’ down St Charles to the Quarters
Searchin’ for the freshest beignets
Wavin’ to the tourists on da streetcar
It’s gonna be one of dose days
......
Morning Call
by Jeffrey Pipes Guice
When the kids were all fed...
And after draining the bath water...
We would all climb into my dad’s car...
And head down to the French Quarter...
My parents enjoyed all the excitement...
After working those long days...
We’d head down to Morning Call...
For chocolate milk and beignets...
......
The Mardi Gras Fountain
by Jeffrey Pipes Guice
Who remembers when our parents...
After the dinner dishes were all put away...
Would discuss together as a family...
For that perfect ending of the day...
After we bathed and brushed our teeth...
Put on our clean footy pajamas...
We grabbed a bunch of warm blankets...
And fresh cocktails for the mommas...
......
Grandma’s Sayings
by Jeffrey Pipes Guice
Growing up in da city...
Our sayings were always witty...
We don’t mean nobody no harm...
So go away if your attitude is sh/tty...
My grandmother used to say them...
My parents said them, too...
My aunts and uncles said them...
So did everyone else I knew...
......
