Silhouettes in the Garden

They call New Orleans the Big Easy. The moniker comes, in part, from the French saying laissez les bons temps rouler. Let the good times roll. The name is a misnomer. There is nothing easy about living and growing up in New Orleanss Eighth Ward. My mother told me God created the world as a garden. A peek and a promise of what is to be seen in heaven. She also taught me that God allowed the devil access to the garden. Access and permission to tempt earths mortals. My mother told me we should all try to hide from the devil. To do so she believed we should pass through life as much a shadow, a silhouette to the devils eye, as possible. That is a difficult task for the pious. It is even more difficult in New Orleans, a city made famous by its history and traditions. Traditions and history that include temptations, vices, corruption, Mardi Gras, and voodoo. My name is Jehan Henri. This is the story of my silhouette in the garden we call earth.