Written by Darrell Smith
Bayou flows the keen imprint of water erosion over time
Unique to South Louisiana teeming with life, oases for prairie animals, aquatic, land, and those that take flight
Bayou, a word derived from the Choctaw word Bayuk, meaning small stream
Though mostly latte brown in color, South Louisiana Cajun Prairie bayous are freshwater
Unknowledgeable about bayous might make an observer think them dirty
Serving as protection for animals eager to camouflage, fade into, or hide within are its murky waters
Water levels in bayous vary according to rain, often spilling over into fields nearby during heavy rains
Living with respect to bayous and life in or around their environs is imperative
Passing by one of these complex ecosystems, instead of teeming with wildlife the bayou is teeming with garbage, even a bizarre item like a toilet
Moving a toilet is no small feat; if it’s necessary to discard, a dump is a more appropriate place
Our existence depends on relationships with our Earth
In touch with Earth encourages harmony with all life
Oh, lovely, Bayou, in harmony with my soul
I revel in your slow moving water as you stream by my locality
I see reflected in you my life as a young boy, nakedly swimming in clean, fresh water
Occasionally, something nibbling at my toes
Under cypress and oak, cool breezes tickle my nakedness and I am unashamed
My feet grounded in the muddy bottom like a mud bath for my toes
My dad sitting nearby fishing from the banks with a cane pole, awaiting the big one
Eating catfish from the bayou becoming one with the Cajun land
Walking the banks of the Bayou as an older man
Visions of Dad and me on lazy afternoons enjoying the bayou and our friends, bayou inhabitants, memorialize him
The Bayou, delights my soul and awakens in me an evocation of earthy consciousness
MY DNA IS IMPRINTED UPON L’ANSE FAQUETAIGUE, MY HAPPY PLACE
Text © Darrell Smith
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