It's cloudy outside. The world is delineated in every detail. Every little shadow and line is accented sharply by the ominous thunder rumbling across the belly of the sky. The bits of color in the flowers reach but cannot leave much of a mark on the pervading gloom. The inside of the house is warm and well-lit, peaceful and serene. The laughter of carefree children echoes down through the centuries of its wooden frame. Hospitable, smelling of a home-cooked meal, one gazes through the glowing panes of glass and can only conjure memories of rustling skirts covered by wide aprons, full-chested mothers sweeping and elbow-deep in dough, scolding their children and wiping away their tears. The house now stands abandoned and empty, only dust and cobwebs covering the windows. Long ago and far away, I recognized the nostalgia of the times that came before as I look down the neon street, the first drops starting to hurtle down from the dark heavens above.

  I had a rough night. I don’t have a friend nor family in sight. I’m driving home, tank almost empty. I feeling pretty low, but I’m a little high. I come behind an ambulance, a woman is on a stretcher inside. She looks like she is barely holding on. Oxygen mask. Low breathing. Paramedics in panic. My heart cries for her and envies her. Tonight, one of us is going to hell and one of is not. I should have just driven around the ambulance, it was a four-lane. But, I just wanted to cruise behind at speed that pulled along like an umbilical cord. Attached. Because, in that moment me and that woman, both, were on our way home.

 

 

  Let's express ourselves! Literacy helps free the mind! Literacy helps build community! Our voices matter more then ever! LouisianaWords.com is the home of Louisiana's LGBTQIA+ writers and our allies! We help market new and seasoned writers for FREE! Just submit your work and we’ll get you into our content rotation! You may submit your content to louisianawords@gmail.com or you may contact us through social media! Our Spring 2026 season of new Louisiana Words content started Sunday, April 26th! As of January 2025, Louisiana Words has officially become a nonprofit organization! So, we are looking to share the good news with a few live shows across the state of Louisiana. We are planning a Louisiana Words tour to showcase local LGBTQIA+ writers and spread the word about Louisiana Words, LLC . The show is free! The dates will be Friday, July 3rd – Sunday, July 5th. We will be visiting Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans in that order.   Friday, July 3rd: Lafayette - Ca...

  How did I get here? When I look at the blackness behind my eyes I am brought to a different place. The blackness and the color of my present perception are equally familiar. It is as if I am made up of three oscillating moments Playing the music of a life that is mine and others. The blackness keeps the time of my most beautiful and colorful moments So vivid in the blackness The current moment is filled with color and question It is the most real moment But the most uncertain It is the most confusing moment.... How did I get there? A more comforting moment rests in the future It flows to whatever rhythm I desire It is driven by the two moments of blackness and reality All three moments working together make up the movement of the mind.