Analysis of Laissez les bons temps roule
For Hurricane Katrina’s Victims
Katrina’s torrent barely touched Vieux Carré.
It endures on high ground where the
Café Du Monte stands like a citadel,
Issues dark roasted Chicory Coffee 24/7,
Dusts powdered sugar on Beignet loving patrons;
No swampland crypt, the French Quarter presents
Pedestrians a sanctuary to suck down safe hurricanes
Chased with “Harry’s Huge Beers.”
Voodoo lovers slap legs together
Like alligator tails in brackish marshes;
Balcony flirts, evening ladies wear delicate masks
Fat Tuesday, last day before Lent’s forty day fast;
Mardi Gras magic exudes from every pore,
Elaborately costumed krewes toss beads off floats,
Give rise to fanciful celebrations of the dead,
Historic carnival steeped in Catholic doctrine.
Haitian halos encircle heads,
Bend minds, create
Sober motley moments among
Tarot card readings, psychic oracles
Jostling Bourbon Street crowds—
Backdrop for parading ramblers,
Mischievous, Puckish vagabonds,
Ragged marching saints.
Shuffling along as
Jazz bands blow Dixieland
Zydeco singers scrape wash boards, and
Street musicians mutter the blues,
Encouraged by two hands clapping,
Living dreams off guitar case offerings:
Copper tokens, silver coins,
Green paper gratitude.
Gris, Gris in my pocket, still
Scaling steps in New Orleans
Looking down Toulouse Street
Finding JAX Brewery gone
Replaced by Planet Hollywood. No
Mississippi miracle could heal Katrina survivors
Cleanse the river, recover such culture—
Foreboding yet enticing Gothic glamour.
Scheme | X XXXXAXXX BXXXXXXX XXXXXCXX XXXXXXXX XAXXXCBB |
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Poetic Form | |
Metre | 110110 11010111 10111110 111011010 10110110 11010111010 111011010 01000100111110 11111 11011010 1100101010 1001101011001 110110111011 101100111001 0100111111 111100010101 010100101010 10100101 1101 10101001 111010100 1001011 1101010 10010100 10101 10011 11110 10101110 10101001 01011110 1011011100 1010101 11010 1101101 10101100 101011 1011001 1110101 01010011010010 1010010110 01010101010 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,486 |
Words | 220 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 41 |
Letters per line (avg) | 30 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 206 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 37 |
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Submitted on July 24, 2019
Modified on March 30, 2023
- 1:06 min read
- 58 Views
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"Laissez les bons temps roule" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/49073/laissez-les-bons-temps-roule>.
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