Decroix took his St. Joseph’s Day handkerchief from his hip pocket and wiped out the brim of the blue Borsolino he used to only wear for parades.
There was a lot of that down here. Used to.
We used to go up to Luchan’s for boudin, used to get us some drinks at Jimmy White’s Sports and Games. Used to have me a house, a car.
Decroix tipped his chair back and looked out at the vacant lots of what used to be a fine neighborhood, the long black line of high-water still visible on some of the remaining ruins.
Early in the morning on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the United States. The storm’s aftermath was catastrophic. Levee breaches led to massive flooding in the poor wards of New Orleans where many of the city’s musicians and laborers lived. The neighborhoods were razed to make way for new development, pricing out many of the people who had lived there for generations. It will come as no surprise that the African American community was the hardest hit.
This wonderfully captures the flavor of New Orleans. Ends with an ache. Beautiful!
“Used to be” is such a melancholy thing. Well done
“used to”. There’s a world of regret in those words. Well done.
A poignant scene, well rendered. Incidentally, there is a snooker player called Jimmy White in the UK, who I think still plays on the tour. Not sure he ever set up a bar in New Orleans though!
What used to be, indeed. Water lines… debri… the remains of floods, hurricanes, it’s all captured here. Great write.
Dear Josh,
A lot said in those well placed “used to’s.” You put me in the moment. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Ah, you chose Hurricane Katrina (I chose the Asian Tsunami) – very vividly done.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
Perfect tune to accompany this short. Used to be are words filled with so much. Mostly sadness in the end.
Beautiful lament for the soul of New Orleans after Katrina.
Well done
With Climate change…So much truth .. great vivid descriptions.
What a powerful tale of a truly massive tragedy.
The long black line of high water–what a visceral picture, grabbing the gut and turning it inside out. Tragedy, indeed.
Wonderfully poignant.
I think you convey the power of such a devastating loss and disillusionment in such subtle way. Great story.
Such poignancy in the story and the reality is heartbreaking too.
Ah, those “used to be’s” can come up and bite you in the butt. Thank goodness I haven’t experienced one ~ earthquake, hurricane, tornado wise. Well captured.
Well evoked scene, well done
Your writing is so vivid, the references and language used so spot on, I knew this was about New Orleans and Katrina before I reached the end of the story. You just choose the right words! Very well written Josh