Leira - NOLA Greetings

A tourist may arrive
In New Orleans to find
That the Southern Hospitality
Heard of in many guide books
Is proven true by our greetings
Short and friendly people
Always willing to talk
With any who gives his/her ear

But wait, pause a moment

That is not always true
Another tourist may find
That it does not exist
This kindness of the South
Yet it does
Yet it does not
But the tourists themselves
May not yet realize
That one cannot simply
Apply a single standard
To every person in this city
As that would be unfair
One cannot assume
That an entire city
Can always be kind
That this Hospitality
Is seen in every Southerner

But note:

This Southern Hospitality
It does still exist
The people of New Orleans
Are still interesing
And still kind
The city still greets
That wayward tourist
Trapping them but also
Welcoming them
Hoping that this city
Shows enough Hospitality
For which the South is infamous
To convince each visitor
That this historic place
Also called the Big Easy

Is worth returning to
To experience again
A real city
Unlike any other
With its own nice people
And the unavoidable mean ones
But real Southern people
That will at the least
Greet a tourist
In their Southern drawl
With a friendly "Hey, ya'll"

Leira, age 17