On a bend in the river lies a city like no other

where trumpets unleash hurricanes

blown in from distant shores

listen for the groove of double basses

cooking up a symphony

with all the might of a storm cloud

bursting to the beat of footsteps

on a frenzied dance floor

Dragons prowl along avenues

spitting doubloons in every direction

for dreamers to spend

while masked jesters cavort among

bon vivants hungry for beignets

the gumbo ya-ya season in full swing

Nightfall is time for rougarous

for lost love and gris-gris bags

for fifolets shining bright

calling bayou born spirits home

hear ol’ Satchmo play his bluesy cadenza

welcoming a parade of the dead

there’s Marie Laveau reading fortunes

filling Congo Square with forgotten wisdom

crafty Jean Lafitte mingles with hustlers

working his street savoir-faire

An easy life in the Big Easy

a poverty-battered populace

swaying to the staccato rhythm

of squalls and alcohol

when the levee breaks

generations dig in their feet

colour can’t be washed away

it runs deep as southern hospitality

hearts worn on a collective sleeve

such is the resilience of New Orleans