This poem appeared in Tuesday's Philadelphia Inquirer Commentary
Refinery Deal Pays Off
(Letter to New Orleans for New Year’s Eve)
There are the dead & those who talk to the dead
through song The parade is almost here &
this is an American mirror Squint hard
to see the Ninth Ward see Two Street America
Cities are mothers that never stop raising
as long as the rhythms continue
And I will raise them up And I will raise them up
And I will ra-ai-se them up on the last day
Bayou Eagle feathers sewn into headdresses
keep the five-fifths citizen beat & burning
crude in the purified cold will be a dance called
the dirty phoenix This is American music
A new year is coming with us a dedication
Rebirth is playing our song Don’t let them steal you
We come to party we come to remember
We come to party & will not let you die
