Whispers from Tchoupitoulas

Whispers from Tchoupitoulas

by Kateb Nuri-Alim Shunnar

Tchoupitoulas hums a sacred song,

Where shadows stretch and souls belong,

The breeze it carries voices old,

In tales of silver, stitched with gold.

I wandered slow beneath her sky,

A dream beneath the sparrow’s cry.

With every breath, the earth would speak,

Of rivers wide and spirits meek.

The water flowed, a holy thread,

Where prayers are whispered, softly said.

Not just a stream of earth and stone,

But life itself, in liquid tone.

She taught me how to bend, not break,

To rise again, for mercy’s sake.

When life grew heavy on my chest,

The river sang, and gave me rest.

No sermon louder than her stream,

No scripture clearer than her gleam.

She carried all, both grief and grace,

Yet never lost her gentle pace.

She said, "Keep moving, child, don’t stall,

For stillness is the heaviest fall.

Let go the weight, release control,

Flow freely now, and feed your soul."

At dawn her light would kiss the shore,

And I would see, and feel much more

A warmth beyond what eyes could know,

A pulse, divine, beneath her flow.

Not just a river, but a guide,

With every turn, her truth implied:

That life, like water, shapes the stone,

And we are never quite alone.

Tchoupitoulas, you hold my youth,

My trembling faith, my seeking truth.

You cradled me when I was lost,

And taught me love without a cost.

I walk today with river grace,

With quiet strength and softened pace.

Though storms may rise and doubts may swell,

Within my soul, your whispers dwell.

So let the currents rise and fall,

For I am part of nature’s call.

And in my chest a river lies It lives, it weeps, it loves, it flies.