By Talya Johnson
Winner, 2021 VSU Art + Poetry Contest
A small city girl
needs a new adventure of wonder
and freedom to embark on
to leave behind
fear, rejection, and doubt
and that new life has become you
Sweet Louisiana
Oh, how I love you
Oh, how I adore you
I couldn’t wake up in a better place
as sweet jazz music plays softly in the background,
the people are as alive as the music here …
my spirit feels welcomed.
This is where I want to be
spending each Sunday morning
in these soft silk sheets being woken to the smell of beignets
looking over the balcony at the view of paradise
with you Sweet Louisiana.
The saxophone plays beautifully
in the background
I can’t seem to resist as it sweeps me off my feet
I dance in joy – rejoice as I am free
in the city of art
in the city of love
in the city of wonders …
Could this be?
my place to call home
that has opened its arms for me …
an unconditional love
that feels so real and comfortable
you have found me
in such an unexpected way.
Sweet Louisiana
Oh, how I love you
Oh, how I adore you
Just like roses, they bloom
when a new journey begins,
I wonder what Sweet Louisiana has for me
I’m hopeful
I’m grateful
I’m optimistic.
If only you could see the sunset from here as it glows on
my warm, soft, and beautiful brown skin
I deserve a fulfilling life of happiness and a
fresh start somewhere new.
Sweet Louisiana
I can’t wait to see
what you will have in store for me.
Louisiana I’ve become your muse in a photograph
someday my children will see
how the state I love, and I adore is o so sweet.
As I listen to the train as it takes off
in the distance from the balcony
I know I am
home at last
About the Author
Talya Johnson, Virginia State University
Talya Johnson is a senior Mass Communications major at Virginia State University. She is a writer of poetry and short fiction and Editor-in-Chief of One Twenty One.