She’s the Queen City of the South,But she ain’t no southern belle. “When the levees broke | Our hope got soaked | And so did the twinkle in her eyes” – From Chuck Perkins’ poem, “We Ain’t Dead Yet.” (Photo courtesy of the New Orleans People Project)The remaining darknessWrapped its arms aroundThe mangled body of the city,Hiding her gaping woundsFrom a nervous moon,Which wonderedWhat happened to the musicAnd wanted to knowHow come lately the rain smelled like tears. The rancid smell of neglectAnd raw sewageMade the moon reflect badly on the waterAnd the United States government. So badly, the blue moonshine drinker got full,Started pulling at the water and kicking up a storm. So we shouted out to the gravedigger,“Hold on to your dirt pa’tner—’Cause we ain’t dead yet.”This poem, by Lens award-winning contributor Chuck Perkins, is excerpted by permission from his new book, Beautiful and Ugly Too, recently released by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press.