And the Saints come marching in....

In a dubious attempt to capture some of the undulating fever and post-orgasmic glow that sits like black and gold stardust upon the rim of the world's most probable renowned 'fish bowl', i now write, dedicating an ode to thee city, MY city... oh, New Orleans, how i love thee!

it's practically impossible to capture, in words, the purely indescribable rapture of having secured a spot in a metradome of a city where history was re-written merely hours ago... you can transpose your thoughts into words, but they fall short from the live and visceral experience of having BEEN there..and until you've walked hand in hand with people, who before, you may have only considered to be stranger, sharing unanimously in a joy that transcends mother of all joys, exchanging a gusty laugh bellowing from a cavernous place deep within, tears streaming forth with no mention or apology, you can, in effect, only take your place as surveyor or bystander at best...

dramatic? hell yes. because it was, in every sense of the word, a scene, a spectacle to behold. driving home on the freeway today from a hazy if not frenzied day of school, i literally felt the goosebumps rise on my arms as i drove past Louis Armstrong International airport and saw throngs of people (an understatement, really, as more than 10,000 people were reported to be in attendance) gathering around the homestretch, waiting anxiously to greet 'the boys.' my eyes flailed wildly over the crowd, which in and of itself appeared as a packed football stadium, standing devoutly and loyally to sing their praises and offer their warm salutes.

post-game, that's where i'm going to begin, because the game in an of itself was a bit of a dream. the big plays, the touchdowns, those were all elemental parts of the game that cemented a big finish, but what new orleanians will forever remember is not the game itself, but the swell of emotion, the enormous reception that followed thereafter... the whoops and exclamations that swung up and down st charles and carrollton, the wrap-around of cheers zooming past poydras and loyola. the mountainous rumble bellowing from the belly of the French Quarter as Bourbon Street capped off an avalanche of roars reaching nearly cataclysmic proportions. you name it, i saw it. men and women in their full regalia dancing atop cars as if Jesus Christ himself had come in the flesh, pre-mardis gras beads flailing from outdoor balconettes and rooftops, fire engines zooming down streets with lights heralding 'thy kingdom come', cops removing their shirts and helicoptoring them around their heads like it was their God-given duty, megatrucks and four-wheelers blasting the Who 'Dat national yin yang anthem as people perched precariously from moon-roofs, stuck their bodies out of cars, exploded from streetcars and pregnant businesses by the bucket.

in a city that already claims more 'brotherly love' than Philly (and trust me, Philadelphia can take firm stake in their mantra), i profess that there is nothing like the city of New Orleans in the world. Sure, we've been through some tough times in recent years, and surely, little else could have roused more cheer and applause than a Super Bowl big win...but there's more to it than that. i could feel, even in the brevity of my stay so far here in the Big Easy, a kind of strange camaraderie, a kinship almost alien to my dispersed Los Angelino birthhood... a coming together of a city, a community of gatherers and dwellers who, for them, expressing emotion comes as naturally as breathing. holler if ya wish. hoot if ya wish. break down and cry, say it with me now- THANK YA, JESUS! if you damn well wish. no holds barred, beautiful, pure Louisiana. the place where people from around the world flock to, the city that wears it's banner so proudly, cars adorned with the bumper sticker reading, "New Orleans: Proud to Call it Home."

Every city wears its badge proudly. And I have been privy to experiencing just a few: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Seattle, Chicago, New fuckin' Yorrrk..even the beloved mecca of futbol worship, Rio de Janeiro. But indeed, New Orleans will take its place in my heart. In fact, it already has. As home for now, but more... A city that teems with the dragon-breath of life in its every reach and corner..the city that mingles with the brilliant expectancy and hope for a beautiful tomorrow, but always, ALWAYS blazes with the curious promises of a luminous today...

BLESS YOU, BOYS.