'CAJUN HEAVEN' - Revised!

Cajun Heaven

At the Cowgirl downtown
Mardi Gras night
Fat Tuesday
Popcorn shrimp, remoulade, Diablo sauce
Fried okra, andouille sausage gumbo
Beer, German, not Cajun, it doesn’t matter to me

I wear a single string of gold beads
Listen to the music
The Balfa Waltz
Lafayette Breakdown

I think of dad
Three years gone
Under the portal of grass and rain

In my mind, a telephone appears
Not a cheap flip metal one
But the real deal
Heavy in the hand
Black, Bakelite
Rotary dial my finger feels with every turn

I use it to call him up
Cę va? I say
What’s up?
Wish you were here

We could dance the Balfa Walz
Like when I was young
My black patent leather shoes
On top of your brown loafers
Smashing your toes while you smiled
And held my little hands in yours

It’s enough, it’s enough, I tell myself
I know you can hear me calling
Even if it’s not for real,
I know your intention was to meet me again

Jambalaya, crawfish pie, file gumbo
Son of a gun
Gonna have some fun
On the bayou, if not in Heaven