Courtney - Nighttime in New Orleans

Wake up, brush teeth, get ready
Stumble into my drawer to find that
Familiar purple, green, and gold
Striped Perlis Polo
That i wear every year

Slip on my jeans, still stained
From the mud of last nights parade,
Too tired to notice that I have worn
Them once already

I look at my clock, it is 5
In the afternoon
How could I have slept this late?
I forget, it is Mardi Gras

Running down the driveway
To hop in my car, stressed
Because Bacchus starts in
Exactly 30 minutes

It is 5:55, I finally arrive
At the apartment
With five minutes to spare
Not a soul in sight,
I look out the window
To see everyone standing on the
Neutral ground,
Excitement and anticipation
Fill the air as the tip
Of the first float rounds
The corner

I run down the steps, hoping not to fall
I sprint across the street
Greeting everyone with open arms and a warm smile
They turn around to see me tired and out of breath
I know I am in New Orleans

Nighttime, the parade is over, people stumbling
People screaming, and people celebrating
This means nothing to New Orleanians
Nighttime is our favorite
When everyone comes out to
Trashy streets, filled with broken cups and beads
The party has just begun
Police on every corner
Even they are celebrating Mardi Gras
Familiar faces surround you
As you walk through the crowd
Seeing someone new
Every corner you turn

Eventually streets start to clear
But the celebration is not over
It starts again tomorrow
Mardi Gras, Nighttime
Both unique to New Orleans


Courtney, age 16

Ruthie - Nighttime in New Orleans

walking with Mom before dawn

bikes, joggers, dogs

step counters, sweat bands, mp3s

sub.urb.ia

Mom points at the sky

and through the smog you can see the stars

like the ones down.town

reflected in the slight glimmer of crystal

on a dancer’s tutu

purple matching the sky

above the tourists with babies and beer

the video cameras and the cellphones

that go flash flash flash

like

Christ.mas in the

Oaks

where mystical creatures rear their heads

from lakes, the snakes, the basilisksssss

or alligators, these swamp monsters

are snapping at the angels

swinging from trees

like beads

at

mar.di gras

the orange light from the floats

warming cold fingers

that reach for the last glittering

shoe

but new orleans is not like cinderella

we do not need the other shoe

content instead to hobble on past midnight

the city of dreams does not

need sleep

Ruthie, age 16

Torre - Mardi Gras Night

Mardi Gras Night

A time of preparation

Full of music and food

That fills the crowded streets

Parents, children, and friends gather here

For what only comes once a year

As the sun goes down

People’s spirits rise

As a king and queen enter the streets

With their court following close behind

Beads flying

People dancing and laughing

Joy and lightheartedness plaguing the air

New Orleans holds a mystery

With masks and people coming from far and wide

To all enjoy the culture of New Orleans

And find out what Mardi Gras means to them

Is it the floats that go flying by?

Or the purple, green, and gold?

More than anything

For those of us who are New Orleanians

This nighttime during Mardi Gras

Means something most won’t understand

It is a time for strangers and friends alike

To gather and enjoy each other’s company

And prepare for forty days of lent

Torre, age 16

Grace - Nighttime in New Orleans

During the day, New Orleans is special and unique.  But at night time, New Orleans comes alive.  At night time the crazy parties, the drunken New Orleanians, and the loud music comes to life.  Nighttime in New Orleans is a special time because the city lights up and becomes crazy and fun.  During Mardi Gras, the parades during the day are fun, but don’t even compare to the night time craziness.  New Orleans is so alive, and that is what I love most about it.  My favorite thing to do is have fun, and New Orleans is the most fun place in the world, especially at night time.  At night time, the French quarter lights up and the people are happy, and the music is so fun and interesting to listen to.  Night time in New Orleans is more special than night time in any other place.  I love New Orleans at night because it has a special and unique way of making me happy.


Grace, age 16

Katie - The NOCCA

The characters of New Orleans as seen from a chaotic carpool ride to NOCCA

Rush Rush Rush

“Y’all are so slow! Everyday we are always waiting for you!”

Rush Rush Rush

“Did you bring pizza?”

Rush Rush Rush

“Brooke, hold my bags.”

Rush Rush Rush

“Katie, I never understand how you get a leotard on so fast.”

Rush Rush Rush

“Oh no there is traffic on Claiborne.”

Rush Rush Rush

“Wait, I forgot to print my homework.”

Rush Rush Rush

“I think I am going to start to give those people on the side of the road cliff bars.”

Rush Rush Rush

“What time is it it?”

Rush Rush Rush

“We are going to get there right at 1:15.”

Rush Rush Rush

“Great, I lost my socks.”

Rush Rush Rush

“Why is there a jungle gym made out of trash on the side of the road?”

Rush Rush Rush

“Taylor Swift and I will be best friends, and I am going to date her brother.”

Rush Rush Rush

“Was that a lady with a boa constrictor on her back?”

Rush Rush Rush

“Why was that girl wearing a pink, feather hat?”

Rush Rush Rush

 “NO! We are behind a horse and buggy!”

Rush Rush Rush

“Look at how many people are waiting at Port of Call?”

Rush Rush Rush

“HA! That emo guy just tripped.”

Rush Rush Rush

 “I think that we have hit every red light on Esplanade.”

Rush Rush Rush

“Why are there so many people running in the middle of the day?”

Rush Rush Rush

“We are almost there.”

Rush Rush Rush

“I think this is the hipster part of town.”

Rush Rush Rush

“Move your head, I have to get my book bag.”

Rush Rush Rush

“ We just made it girls. Have a good day!”

Rush Rush Rush

Katie, age 16 

Brooke - Nighttime in New Orleans

Nights in white satin

Do not stand up to nights in white linen

Shrouded the unwelcome blanket

Of heavy humid black

Velvet air

“Laissier

Pockets of music permeate the veil

Crickets scream to keep up

Slurs of tongues dominate

Vibration of a collective sound

Language nature and art one tangible force

Throbbing through skulls

les

Shadows partner with dancers

Wiggling on the road

In the spotlight of the street lamps

Trees saturated with plastic guests

House the projection beneath their feet

bon

The monsters crawl and squirm

In the corners of the child’s mind

Protected by sandy hair and the NOPD

I’mscaredofthedark.Ihadanaccident,Pleasedon’tbemadatmedaddy.

Shrieking and stickiness

This is your mom’s job

What in God’s name is the time?

God’s day follows this evening

Temps

Down the street

Suspended twenty feet in the air

Eye level with Robert E. Lee

In the circle surrounded by steel

a woman frets

Knows she has work that must be completed

Crutch crunch cruch in her cubicle

When the sky is flooded with silver

And the hints of the painful morning

Rouler”

But for the hours of the dark

She is safe

These are the hours of

Procrastination Productivity Celebration

Like the crickets, the party goers, the parents

She is a creature of the night

Brooke, age 16

Holly - Creature of the Night

When the sun dies, the city grows brighter.

New Orleans becomes a different world.

Creatures of the night come alive.

Festivities begin.

Cab cars scurry.

Intoxicated laughter fills the air.

Music escalades for all to hear.

NOPD squad car sirens accompany jazz musicians

Full of music

Full of laughter

New Orleans is a creature of the night.

Holly, age 16

Madison - I am New Orleans

A New Orleans Birth

Amniotic fluid- the EmergenC of babies

                   

            A good roux, fried chicken, red beans, beignets

Music is supposed to up the intelligence of an unborn child

Does the trumpeter on the corner of Royal and Dumaine count?

His toothy grin merited a tip from my mother

Noises envelop my tiny, trembling body

             

            Push harder

            

            Throw me something, Mistah

Oohs Aaahs

                  

            She is beautiful.

                  

            The king’s float is coming.

My world is black and white

             

            Yet I see three colors, a beaded strand of purple, green and gold gently placed around my neck

My wails cease- I know I am home

- Madison, age 17

Diamond - I am New Orleans

“I am New Orleans”

You know growing up as a young child

I never understood what it meant to be

From New Orleans,,

I mean I knew it was

Something different, historical, traditional, & unique

About this place,

But Oh as time passed..

Sitting around waiting for that

Time of the year

It was something

That filled you with great cheer

Super Sunday, Yellow Pocahontas, Lady Buckjumpers

Come on nah tell me you not from

New Orleans

Fat Tuesday 8:00 a.m. best believe it

Was Zulu bout to roll

I mean I am New Orleans

From eating Red Beans and Rice on a

Monday and at the end of the

Week fried seafood

I am a true New Orleanian

Sitting on the River Front watching the fireworks on New Years

Walking down the streets of Canal, and

Around that Superdome home of

Your New Orleans Saints

Tell me you know what New Orleans is

There’s a lot about this city people don’t know or fail to realize

I am New Orleans by the way I

Walk and the way I talk

I am proud to be a New Orleanian

New Orleans has shaped me

To realize that

Everywhere and everyone is different

We don’t do the same things

But we enjoy and still remain

But one thing I will always

Remember is here

In New Orleans

We are a family

And I am proud to say I am a true New Orleanian

- Diamond

Claire - I am New Orleans

While in New York City during Mardi Gras break, I visited the sacred heart school.  A pattern of questions were repeatedly asked: “What’s Mardi Gras?”  “What are parades?” “You get a week off for that?”  I am New Orleans.

While on a carnival cruise, I began to notice how much flavor the food was lacking on the ship.  I wondered where all of the spicy food, and good tasting appetizers had gone.  I am New Orleans. 

I come home from school one day and find a big sack of purple, green and gold bandanas with a crown on them.  I immediately realized that this big black bag was not in fact trash, but the objects that my dad would be throwing off a moving vehicle down St. Charles Avenue in a few weeks.  I am New Orleans.

The other day when I was walking down Magazine Street and I heard jazz music, I didn’t think it was bizarre.  I am New Orleans.

Whether it's food full of flavor or Mardi Gras parades, New Orleans is home to all of these unique and spectacular attributes which makes us new Orleans.   I am New Orleans.

- Claire, age 17  

Jasmine - I am New Orleans

“I am New Orleans”

I am the ambiance of New Orleans

The beignets, the street cars,

The boats, the Mardi Gras Madness,

The art, the street mimes,

The legends, the soul,

The music, the food,

The history,

The place where jazz was born,

The French market,

The character of the city and the fact that it’s surrounded by water,

 The games in the superdome,

Cheering for the saints, the spooky swamps,

The ghosts around the town,

The charming people you cannot match anywhere,

I am New Orleans,

The city that is not like no other

- Jasmine, age 16

Nia - I am New Orleans

I am New Orleans…

I am the streetcar – NOT the trolley – that rolls down that grand old avenue.

You know, the one called St. Charles - the avenue that is home to everything from grand old mansions to dingy little hole-in-the-wall shops.  

I am New Orleans…

I am the child who knew how to pronounce Tchoupitoulas before I could read.

I am the girl who stands in the same “family spot” on the “neutral ground” – NOT the median – every year to watch the royalty of Mardi Gras parade by to the light of second-lining flambeau carriers.

I am the young woman who knows how to respond when someone asks

“How’s ya Mama and ‘em?”

I am New Orleans…

I am Catholic schools - all girls and all boys - separate but still somehow connected.

I am New Orleans…

I am snowballs – NOT snow cones – on a hot summer day.

I am po-boys – DRESSED – from the corner store.

I am fried shrimp, boiled shrimp, stuffed shrimp, shrimp etouffee.

I am crawfish – NOT crayfish – wrapped in newspaper and ready to eat.

I am New Orleans…

I am the French Quarter’s beautiful mix of people and places. 

I am Café DuMonde, Café Au Lait, and Café Maspero.

I am beignets – NOT doughnuts – served with hot chocolate at a table that has not been cleared.

I am New Orleans…

I am Jazz Fest – music, food, and culture – rain or shine.

I am New Orleans…

I am second line parades and brass bands that roll through the streets to celebrate life and death.

I am a Who Dat – a Saints fan - and a proud member of the “Who Dat Nation.”

I am New Orleans…

I am a witness to crime and pain; a victim of broken levees and flood waters.

I am New Orleans…

I am a dreamer, a rebuilder, a SURVIVOR. 

I am New Orleans…

I am a product of its variety and its diversity!

I am this great city.

It has shaped me and made me who I am.

I am New Orleans…

The waters of the Mighty Mississippi flow through my veins.

The sounds Jazz and Blues are my lullabies.

I am New Orleans.

Nia, age 16

Melissa - I am New Orleans

I am New Orleans;

I am that New Orleans soul,

That bass turned down low

Playing that Old Time Rock and Roll

I am dancing with you

I am New Orleans

I am that rhythm

That 12-bar blues

I am Mr. Johnny R. Cash

I am Crosby

I am New Orleans

I am Stills

I am Nash

I am a magnoila tree, playing a guitar of steel

I am muggy weather, muddy waters

I am porch steps and neighborhood daughters

I am New Orleans

What kill others makes me stronger

“I ain’t no millionaire’s son.”

“I ain’t no fortunate one.”

Don’t need to tell me what to do

Don’t have to prove myself to you

I am New Orleans

I am New Orleans

I don’t need to wear no shoes

I am morning coffee

Channel 6 news

I am Mr. Drew Christopher Brees

I am New Orleans

Black and gold fleur de lis

Sippin’ lemon iced tea

“Let it be, oh, let it be.”

I am cracked pavement

On these city streets

I am New Orleans

Esplanade to Magazine

I am dead, gratefully

Can’t stop this voodoo queen

Rolling in them Georgia peaches

I am New Orleans

I am New Orleans

I am a banjo-picking

Fingerlickin’ good

Popeye’s chicken,

Mashed potatoes,

biscuit eating

Hindu-Christian

Mardi Gras queen,

I am New Orleans. 

Melissa, age 16

Kristen - I am New Orleans

When asked what experience has shaped me into the young New Orleanian I am today, I would have to credit my parents. My mom was raised here and had been around all the traditional New Orleans activities. After meeting my dad and incorporating him into the New Orleans lifestyle, my parents raised five kids in the heart of New Orleans. My parents have taught me what it means to be a New Orleanian. Yes, Mardi Gras, Jazz fest and the Saints are all vital parts of New Orleans, but what makes me a young New Orleanian are the attributes I have picked up over the years. A young New Orleanian has to enforce “Southern hospitality.” Southern hospitality is a term to define the warm and welcoming attitude towards visitors, whether that is in our literal home or the South in general. This trait will stay with me as I grow older; having southern hospitality makes someone more approachable and lovable (definite traits I want to possess).  Another factor that makes someone a New Orleanian is having spirit, being enthusiastic about everything. An example would be when the Saints won the Super Bowl. Everyone in the city united downtown to celebrate in their honor. I believe that this kind of event only happens in New Orleans. Everyone shared a common bond that formed even stronger relationships and everyone was comfortable with one another. I walked down the streets screaming “WHO DAT!” and it was totally normal; I got the same response in return. This leads me to the next factor. Living in New Orleans allows people to be more acceptable of different cultures. Everyone living in New Orleans has a unique style that allows people to open their minds to new things. This trait also allows people to express themselves in different ways and feel comfortable doing so because everyone is extremely accepting.  Each of these different styles shape New Orleans into the remarkable place it is today. I can honestly say I would never want to be anything other than a young New Orleanian. 
- Kristen, age 16

Janae - I am New Orleans

I was born the Rebirth Band of Tremé

I gave New Orleans a new sunshine. A new Day

The Steamboats rolling down the Mississippi blew a revived new whistle embracing me into a new place i called home

I knew from that moment, I would never be alone

Im like the French Quarters, I have a different quality and an exquisite style

I make your every trip worthwhile

The diverse culture made me who I am today

Spicy as Tabasco and as sweet as a fluffy Beignet.

Katrina gave this city a new beginning in 05'

A new chance. Another way to thrive.

Coming back home to jazz singers and second lines

Celebrating the New City, that I once again called mine.

I am the party on Bourbon when I walk into your presence 

I am the connection of the Crescent. I am a true blessing.

Nothing else can compare to me. I am more than what the eye meets.

I am more than what the mind can imagine. I am a Saint.

HI, Im New Orleans

- Janae, age 14

Ashley - I am New Orleans

In the car, pressing my face against the window,

Noticing the things I have to leave behind for now.

The old man who plays his saxophone on his porch, Good bye New Orleans.

The famous Praline shop in the city, Good bye New Orleans.

Waving at the sweet girls jumping rope singing their riddles, Good bye New Orleans.

Passing up the best place in the city for hot spicy crawfish, Good bye New Orleans.

Drifting away from where the finest cook lives, my grandmother, making those hot red beans every 

Monday, Good bye New Orleans;

Desiring a fresh hot sausage po-boy from those who have the best, Good bye New Orleans.

Imagining all the Gumbo I will miss out on, Good bye New Orleans.

Wishing I’ll be the first to catch the most beads on Mardi Gras day, Good bye New Orleans.

Passing through the fine French Quarters, Good bye New Orleans.

As I removed my face from the glass, knowing they’ll be no place like home.

Good bye New Orleans.

- Ashley

Dasia - I am New Orleans

I am the Big Easy, the city that never sleeps,

I am the creamy, seasoned, homemade red beans.

I am the electric streetcars that power on St. Charles,

I am the greatest city of them all.

I am the Mardi Gras parades, the Zulu balls,

I am the politics, City Hall.

I am the music, Zydeco and even Jazz,

Keep up the rhythm. Some are slow; some are fast.

I am the city with freshly baked King Cakes,

Randazzo’s Bakery is where they are baked.

I am the city that loves to party,

New Orleans is never dead, it’s the life of the party.

I am the city whom was affected by Hurricane Katrina,

She tried to stop us, but nothing could come in between us.

We held the faith, and remembered our dreams.

God promised us everything would be alright if only we believed.

- Dasia, age 15

Alexis - I am New Orleans

Rushing winds, furious rain drop.

Helpless children, hungry people.

Katrina, the horror of New Orleans.

 I am soul.

I am jazz.

I am love.

 I am sprit.

 I am New Orleans.

- Alexis, age 16