Parting Shots

Here are a couple of my best shots from New Orleans. After being away from New York for two months, it’s been a bit of a culture shock slipping back into go mode. As for reflections on that strange and vibrant place, there are many. The richness of the speech might be the first that comes to mind. I overheard a man chatting with the clerk at the counter of a convenience store. In expressing a resigned “what can you do” kind of sentiment, the following words came from his mouth:

Now that Johnnie Cochran’s dead, I guess I can’t cut nobody.

He knew that the space between the words of customers and clerks was not designed for cleverness, and it was there he chuckled to himself quietly before the conversation veered in another direction. “Ain’t gonna be another Johnnie,” he said, picking up his bags, “y’all take care.”