Talking about life & culture in New Orleans
Reece Burkaauthor
NolaVie

The poetic city: “The Alligator King”

Oct 27, 2020 • Creative Writing

The Alligator King 

 
Deep in the heart of the Atchafalaya basin
the Alligator King reigns as the baddest 
of the bad.
 
He revels in his power and dominion 
over all the lesser creatures of the swamp  
from whom he demands fealty and sacrifice. 
 
Those who oppose his power end up 
as meat for his ravenous maw. 
 
The Alligator King expects to live out his life 
wearing the crown until he passes 
on to alligator heaven…
 
There he plans to spend eternity 
resting on his laurels and reliving 
his conquests. 
 
And who can say that he is wrong?
 
If life teaches us anything it is that 
even the baddest gator in the swamp
sometimes dies a happy death, 
 
Never knowing or understanding 
that for all his victories, the king of
the alligators is still just an alligator. 
 
Reece Burka 
9/20/2020

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. ViaNola NOLAbeings Multimedia artist Claire Bangser created NOLAbeings as a portrait-based story project that marries... NolaVie 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. ViaNola
View Content Archive
Related Content
NolaVie
The poetic city: “You’ve Got A Right To Sing The Blues 5/25/2020”
Creative Writing
NolaVie
The poetic city: “Celebrating the Birth of Jazz 8/1/19”
Creative Writing
NolaVie
The poetic city: “The Matchless Pleasure Of A Four Year Old 2/15/15”
Creative Writing