| Joel Chace | The 2River View, 5.1 (Fall 2000) |
levee
| The
First Line The Second Line |
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| rain
like holy hell on Jackson Square |
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| bobbing along below the dead a brand new Panama Gambler's hat on Rue Royal |
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| what
cleans the street's not always good for bidness |
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| The
First Line The Second Line |
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| Fais do do |
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| there
she goes again black hawker in yellow cotillion gown |
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| FRESH
FRESH CRAWFISH GET EM FRESH |
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| but
can't begin without the First Line |
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| The
Quarter The Quarter no not preoccupied no The Quarter's merely occupied by death |
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| The
Second Coming's the coming second |
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| waiter
with nicotine stains on his shirt he crosses St. Ann to the peacock-tail mask shop where the woman behind the register says He's a nice boy comes to me for cigarettes |
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| The
First Time The Second Time The tiny time |
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| it's
not the heat it's the humanity not the street but the proximity not the beat but the timidity |
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| Po'
girl yellow girl Po' boy blue boy |
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| brand
new white Panama Gambler's hat motionless under St. Peter's arcade where the darkly draped fortune teller says All right goddammit here's the deal five dollars and I'll tell you just the good parts |
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| The
second's coming |
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| Po'
mules Po' Emily Po' Jose hang their heads in the holy hell raining on Jackson Square |
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| Two
lines two bits two times too much |
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| told
fortunes in Manhattan Houston here it's all the same the same |
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| blue
notes are the rue notes |
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| Two
lips two arms two shoes |
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|
Po'
Po' Po' |
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| how
much more for the bad parts |
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| To
the grave to the wake two shoes too sad too glad |
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| hey
guard my folding chair I need a drink |
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| Po' girl Po' boy hawking bobbing rain like holy hell bobbing along in The Second Line hawking like holy hell paying for the good parts |
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| the
tiny time so tiny so straight |
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| The
First Line's above The Second Line's below below the sea below the dead the skeletons and their earth |
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| FRESH
FRESH GET EM |
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| Fais
do do |
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| The
coming second First Line levee Second Line the dead in their meadows the quick on their horns |
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| death's
the occupation life's the rest |
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| The
Second Line The First Line |
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| 2River | All is well. |