New orleans Poems
The Alphabet of New Orleans
by Jeffrey Pipes Guice
“A” is forda alligator...
Who lives in da lagoon...
“B” is forda beignets...
Dat ya eat wit yo fingers...
Not some silver spoon...
“C” is forda crawfish...
Dat ya eat wit ya fingers, yea...
“D” is forda doberge cake...
Take an extra piece home...
......
Our Dixie Beer
by Jeffrey Pipes Guice
A great beer was brewed...
Starting back in 1907...
Sent down to New Orleans...
A saintly gift from Heaven...
It was brewed in the red brick building...
In Mid City on Tulane Avenue...
75,000 barrels a year...
Plenty enough for me and you...
......
All Hail The King!
by Jeffrey Pipes Guice
Back in 1949, the Krewe of Zulu
elected their brand new king...
And to everyone celebrating Mardi Gras
this man would finally bring...
The kind of Mardi Gras revelry
no New Orleanian had ever seen...
Hail King Louis Armstrong
and his beautiful Mardi Gras queen...
They landed on a tugboat
......
The King and I
by Jeffrey Pipes Guice
There once was a king
Who was pretty funny...
He wore whites tights
And was tight with his money...
His scepter was small
But his ego was big...
He wore sparkling clothes
And sometimes a wig...
......
Mardi Gras Ladders
by Jeffrey Pipes Guice
It’s an annual tradition...
For generations past...
This ain’t our first Mardi Gras...
And it won’t be our last...
We all arrived early...
At least a week or more…
To set up our Mardi Gras ladders...
Just like our parents did before...
......
Float Rider Blues
by Jeffrey Pipes Guice
It was my first time riding
In a Mardi Gras night parade
It was hard to hide this wonderful feeling
Of flying high as I stood and surveyed
The night was cool, and the music was funky
The mood was good, and the sky was clear
I was feeling excited to be riding on the float
As I grabbed myself yet another cold beer
......
A Movable Feast
by Jeffrey Pipes Guice
Ridin’ round New Orleans on my Vespa
With my baby holdin’ on real tight
Life should be nothin’ if not a movable feast
Lastin’ all day and trippin’ into da night
Headin’ down St Charles to the Quarters
Searchin’ for the freshest beignets
Wavin’ to the tourists on da streetcar
It’s gonna be one of dose days
......
Morning Call
by Jeffrey Pipes Guice
When the kids were all fed...
And after draining the bath water...
We would all climb into my dad’s car...
And head down to the French Quarter...
My parents enjoyed all the excitement...
After working those long days...
We’d head down to Morning Call...
For chocolate milk and beignets...
......
The Mardi Gras Fountain
by Jeffrey Pipes Guice
Who remembers when our parents...
After the dinner dishes were all put away...
Would discuss together as a family...
For that perfect ending of the day...
After we bathed and brushed our teeth...
Put on our clean footy pajamas...
We grabbed a bunch of warm blankets...
And fresh cocktails for the mommas...
......
Grandma’s Sayings
by Jeffrey Pipes Guice
Growing up in da city...
Our sayings were always witty...
We don’t mean nobody no harm...
So go away if your attitude is sh/tty...
My grandmother used to say them...
My parents said them, too...
My aunts and uncles said them...
So did everyone else I knew...
......
