My Street

When I first saw this picture published on my neighbor's blog Katrina: A Midcity Blog, I really didn't want to go back. Although the shotgun double where I live is not in this picture, the absolute devastation of this image taken in mid-September made the storm more real for me than any of the surreal news footage because it was/is just a typical New Orleans street, one that I walked down on my way to the local coffee shop to prepare for classes or meet a new colleague. Now with the spectacular waters receded, the modest homes on this street were left wounded, raw and bare, for all of us to see.