RIP Date Wednesday, April 24, 2024 - 09:41 PM PST Topic Lemmings on Parade It seems to me that Katrina did her job... Quite thoroughly I might add. the city has been pretty well destroyed. not just physically, but its spirit has been pretty wlle mangled. I know a man by the name of Timber Wulff... He's big, pldding, and slow. But inside that exterior lurks a genius. I met Timber over ten years ago. Right after I met Callei and SHade as a matter of fact. He and I left the big easy and got stranded here. Ane he managed to make it back . The Town almost killed his soul, and katrina almost killed his body. But in the midst of all that was going on, he tried to swim back to his home because he heard an all clear had been called. I admire him his bravery in this tragedy. Timber and I ahve become closer since katrina hit than we ever were before. Because catrina was hell. I don;t know how many of you have ever smelled the stench of death... I am not talking a dead oppossum under your porsch or rotting meat, but teh smell of a human body decomposing. I don't know how many of you have seen someone die in horrific conditions... I have... I say this, not because I wish to talk down to anyone but to put things in perspective. Because of Katrina, Timber and I now have another point of reference... Death in full force. Piles of bodies in the advanced stages of decomposition. Men, women and children weeping. It may seem melodramatic, but there was a great wailing and gnashing of teeth as the floor waters destroyed the community, the buildings and lives. He's wept on the phone. He's been silent. And... he's been changed. The brilliant man, now has no naivetee left. And it saddens me. Timber and I have another thing in common. We both read tarot. We've both done it, side by side, professionally on Jackson Square. For those of yo unfamiliar with New Orleans, jackson Square Is a beautiful place ... or was... just in front of St Louis Cathedral. Artists, Tarot readers, vendors, and street performers used it to make a living and keep part of New Orlean's soul alive. Back in the day (over a decade ago), the Tarot readers were a fractious group. There were several "houses"(loose affiliations of readers) that were constantly bickering and squabbling ofer space and time. Each house would ahve their morning people stake out truf on the square just to ensure everyone could read and thus survive. then came a man named Gypsy. In under a year, he managed to vanquish teh disputes and petty rivalries and forge a unified house of readers, Aquarius. There was suddenly enough room for everyone. All could read, and all could thrive. I personally feel that Gypsy was one manifestation of the city father, helping keep new orleans from dying. Gypsy and I had our differences..more than most, but he was important.Timber felt this as well. Timber left his birth family with no sense of loss when he moved to new orleans. He found a brother in me. And a father in Gyspy... a mother in Gypsy's wife Karen. Timber and I had another connection... we were family. And now...as of last week... we are connected more than ever. Gypsy went into the hospital for a routine operation (he's had kidney problems all his life). The operation was a complete success. But, as New Orleans is dying, it's soul, and its manifestations pass as well. Gypsy passed away in his sleep, due to complications from teh surgery. Felix... Chicken Man... Is gone... Gypsy... Father to house Aquarius... is gone... Mouse... The gutterpunk drummer... is gone... Flipper... My brother... is gone... I fear, too, that soon, New Orleans will e nothing but an empty shell a city without a soul... I can only hope my fears are unfounded. Feral thank you for sharing this with us (me). We must remember those that the storm and the government killed. This article comes from Shmeng http://www.shmeng.com/ The URL for this story is: http://www.shmeng.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=810