I had a spirited discussion with my friend Mariana
at the Liberty Bar last night
The venue was my choice
Out of our school's teeny community
and into a 100-year old wooden building with a mean lean
but possesses the essence of familiar haunts
It is my duty to my former self, my N.O. soul

We stepped into the unmistakable air of cigarettes, a/c, fried foods, and spirits
And instantly started to swap stories and insights
Her unpretentious, passionate paradigm presented over micheladas
delivered me from my debilitating doubt

Agents of change she called us in her endearing accent
Her intriguing past is a catalyst for the future
We sat there in that old bar
Our laughter and loudness floated along the sounds of chairs scraping the hardwood floors, the rhythmic tat tat tat of the ceiling fan pull chain, the cash register, Natalie Merchant and the like

My cell phone sat forlorn on my bedroom dresser
Hers accidentally left in the car
We talked to each other instead
And we talked...
multiculturalism, validation, worth, power, change

Certain people in our lives
Bring certain gifts
That you didn't know you needed
Until you receive them

She dropped me off at home three hours later
where I found 15 missed calls
one made me think I was much more inebriated than I had calculated
I sat on my bed, listening to the unmistakable voice of my third grade teacher

Purple Rain, Prince and the Revolution for our Mardi Gras costumes
Actual rain as we chased each other around World's Fair 1984


Had you told me then...
That she would some day be my colleague,
and then even later call to invite me to her "huge retirement party"...


The Marianas and Lindas remind me
of the eternal positive influence of a passionate teacher