NPM 2019 Day 8: What does a Yankee know of the bayou?

Here's another poem I wrote for the summer poetry swap in 2017. This poem was written for Margaret Simon of Reflections on the Teche. Since she writes about life on the bayou, I knew that's what I wanted to write about.

What does a Yankee know of the bayou? 
The science teacher knows
coastal wetlands,
the evolution of the Mississippi delta,
the brackish, slow moving water.

The naturalist knows
the Bald cypress and tupelo,
the pelican and egret,
the alligators.

The historian knows
the Chitimacha and Acadians,
West African slaves,
pirates and riverboats,
the reach of the Civil War.

The Yankee poet knows
the bayou only in her dreams,
so when putting pen to paper
meanders like the Teche,
through moss-draped live oaks,
and sun-kissed swamps.

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2017. All rights reserved.


Happy Monday all. See you tomorrow for another original poem.