Collection

It\'s hard living here... in New Orleans. It\'s post-Katrina.\r\nThe storm ruined everything. No one\'s here. Flooded houses.\r\nFlooded buildings. Flooded cars. Flooded people.\r\n\r\nIt\'s hard to live here. Most people don\'t understand.\r\nThey\'re done with New Orleans - that happened almost a year ago. They\'ve forgotten. But we haven\'t. We won\'t ever forget. No one who lives here will ever forget.\r\n\r\nIt\'s too hard. Because everywhere you go is KATRINA.\r\nWater lines on every other building. Cars sitting on neutral ground . . . still waiting to be picked up. Debris everywhere. Cars, houses, boats, furniture, EVERYWHERE.\r\n\r\nMost people\'s houses are just being gutted. They aren\'t finished yet.\r\nThis city won\'t be like before in a very long time. Maybe 10 years.\r\nI don\'t think I can wait that long. I love it here.\r\n\r\nBut most of all how about the people who lost everything . . . how long can they wait? And what are they waiting for?\r\nThey have no homes or belongings to come back to.\r\n\r\nBut maybe, that\'s not the important thing.\r\nMaybe the important thing is the city they left. That was flooded too.\r\nThat got broken too. And how long can people here hold on?\r\nWhen they have nothing to hold on to? I guess all they have are spirits.\r\n\r\nThey\'re coming back to a city of spirit. And that\'s about it.\r\nBut spirit is good. It\'s what gets us going.\r\nSo someday there will be something here. Something to call home.\r\n\r\nIt will be the same again. It has too. Because it\'s New Orleans. It\'s important.\r\nBut in the meantime I guess we just have to wait.\r\n