Reece Burkaauthor

The poetic city: “While Driving to Work down Oak Street 6/11/12”

Sep 16, 2019 • Creative Writing

Bruegel’s “The Fall of Icarus.” (Photo: Wiki Commons)

While Driving to Work down Oak Street 6/11/12

In Bruegel’s painting Icarus plunges to his death without a witness

Every one in the scene is busy with something else

Heedless of the tiny splash in the corner of the painting

No one sees the mythological drama taking place.

I drive to work down Oak Street with a million things on my mind

With all I have to do before time runs out

Unaware as Bruegel’s peasant plowing his field

Until jolted by the painter’s vision, I am rescued from oblivion.

Comments

You must login to post a comment. Need a ViaNolaVie account? Click here to signup.

Recent Posts on ViaNolaVie

Reviving history: Dear New Orleans city council, save the second lines! As New Orleans begins to reopen after the pandemic, New Orleans's culture that people love and the city loves to advertise will come back. In this letter to the city council, Morgan Maschler explains why the second lines of New Orleans need to be protected and why they may be at risk.

NOLAbeings Multimedia artist Claire Bangser created NOLAbeings as a portrait-based story project that marries...

Voodoo in New Orleans: Reviving history: New Orleans fortune telling This article takes a deep dive into the history of Voodoo in New Orleans, its hybridization with Catholicism, and its present-day place in the city's culture. The author visits fortune-tellers in the French Quarter, using their guidance as a tool for introspection rather than a deterministic predictor of the future. Through her experiences in New Orleans, the author feels a mystical connection to both the past and the future.

View Content Archive

Related Content

The poetic city: “Gratitude 6/2/2020”

Creative Writing

The poetic city: “Meditation on Story Street 5/16/15”

Creative Writing

The poetic city: “Three Shots of Brilliance 6/14/14”

Creative Writing