Bayous

By Alice Carroll (aka Bayou Bard)

What is a bayou?

Slow moving water, not stagnant.

Brackish, but gulf salt water not too much.

The ecosystem is delicate and lush.

Alligators love bayous.

As do fish-eating birds such as Pelicans.

Both species thrive.

Plenty of seafood to survive.

Canoe in the bayou. Often the best way

To get from point B to point A.

In shallow bayou water grow cypress trees

Make boating hard as these trees grow knees.

Moss hanging from tree limbs frame a picture of a beautiful sunrise and sunset.

Tranquil, quiet, and inviting; encourage whispering as not to upset.

Listen to insects humming, birds chirping, and frogs croaking.

Lily pads provide shade to cool shallow water, yet turtles sun themselves on logs in a line.

A hush hangs over a bayou, as if entering a sanctuary or nature reserve for the first time.

Villages were settled near bayous along the Gulf of Mexico and deltas of rivers.

The most famous community was that of the French Acadians, now called Cajuns.

Exiled from Canada’s Nova Scotia by the British starting in 1755 for about seven years.

Over half settled in Louisiana, hence the strong French connection.

The story of the Acadians was passed down orally through several generations.

Almost a hundred years later, Longfellow published a poem, Evangeline, in

Unrhymed dactylic hexameter, as were many epic Latin and Greek tales.

With a focus on two lovers Evangeline and Gabriel.

Two parishes in south Louisiana are named Evangeline and Acadia after the poem. 

A statue of the ever-loyal Evangeline sits in St. Martin parish. 

No parish was named after Gabriel, who must have been a raff.

Today, fun-loving Cajuns embrace their heritage while making the best of what they have.