Ode to Absinthe

Le Fée Verte - "The Green Fairy"

Like milky moondust,

bitter, pale and green,

absinthe swims through

the veins of old New Orleans.

Inside this little Paris,

a new Belle Epoque

has been raised from ashes,

turning back the clock,

The world is now seen

through a cloudy emerald haze

like smoke-filled bars

or dimly-lit cabarets.

Endless nights are sweetened

by lumped sugar cubes

when liquid-dripped, the green spirit

is an artistic muse!

But beware all who drink,

Mesdames et Messieurs,

for not all who partake

can become an absintheur.

For the divine anise nectar

is like a cunning dryad

whose medicinal herbs could drive you

stark raving mad!

Water fountain, silver spoon,

absinthe glass with reservoir,

Le Fée Verte is resurrected

to write history a new memoir.

-Laura Kuhn

New Orleans, © 2014