Darren Howard

Good Gumbo Short Stories Vol II Darren Howard

It has been just over ten years since the force of Hurricane Katrina and the ineptitude of the government led to the destruction of New Orleans and the regions of the Gulf Coast. As New Orleans is rebuilding and continuing to function as a city, we still see the effects of that disaster. It is not as if the city was pure and pristine before the disaster; but, what we are seeing now is not a reflection of the city I once knew. We still have a line of politicians who are on their way to prison, if not already in prison. We have the same inept behavior when it comes to our school system, advances in technology, and the fact that the citizens are still held hostage by the criminal element. Yet, I long for the city I once knew and love. Every time I return home to visit, I am at peace in my mind. I love to drive down the streets that I once walked, and I love to go to the places that hold most of my memories. The city is not the same and the neighbors I once knew are few and far between. Yet, there is no place like home for me. I still feel exiled living in Texas because my mind and heart are still located in New Orleans. I keep convincing myself that one day I will move back home, but the longer I am away the more the city changes. New Orleans has a heartbeat all her own, and she is not going to stand idly by and wait for me to make up my mind. She will continue to exist in all her glory and pain, and continue to write a new story. No matter how many years I am away, the city still has my heart. It was once said that there is no place like home, and now I can fully understand the sentiments of those words. So, I continue to write and continue to think of New Orleans as I once knew her. Maybe one day I will get to know her again in an up close and personal way.