Evening in New Orleans

here's the dance. when evening falls unencumbered. when the warm blanket of humidity wraps the new orleans lights with a thin fog and the termites swarm to the glow, when the streetcars throttle, rock, and metallic thud their way down st. charles, when cool glass of lime filled water sweats, waiting to be sipped, as cars seem to too quickly swing their way around the corners, the intersections speckled with pedestrians, the stories on the stoop begin. the random pellets of truth sprinkled throughout the gossip. when friends share drinks, cigarette smoke slowly curls its way into the air and decides momentarily as it hangs, whether or not to rise or fall. it drifts its way into the wisteria. disappearing. this life progresses. it moves on. sometimes surreptitiously, yet always successful. it makes its book longer, its next chapter. collecting the lives of the lonely, who with windows open, dream of joining someone else's story. the groups of casual acquaintances who lazily get their alcoholic evening loaded. all of the characters in this scene feel the weight of the day lift and fall away as the relaxing white of the crescent moon hooks the casual observer into a low, temporary pause, and then releasing, lets each one go slowly, softly into their own night.

The Dock

step. as my weight hits the wooden dock, it creaks, and i pound my feet fast down the warmness that the sun has brought by scorching the dock stretching out from the beach. my legs lift, and staring hard ahead at the sparkling tips of the water as little waves jump and push themselves up to catch crystals of the sunlight. taking last step, i push off, momentarily defying gravity i soar upwards. my hair lifts off of my scalp, and the air runs its fingers through my brain. in taking deep breath, i plummet into the water and descend into the quickly darkening refreshment of the cool water. air effervescence surrounds me and plays little games on my skin as it slides around me. opening my eyes, i orient myself and drift up, quickened by a strong stroke of my arms downward. kicking, i ascend, things growing brighter, clearer. breaking the surface i exhale and make way for full lungs of new, clean breath. relaxing i float to my back, rolling my arm i push and swim towards the dock.