Bayou Anacoco

We reap what we sow

Epitaph of Bayou Anacoco


Gone are the days of a refreshing
   swim in crystal clear waters,
   cooling your body on stifling hot days.
Days when you could wade near snow white sand bars
   and watch the puffs of sand stirred by your feet
   be swept away by swift water.
Days when a fisherman, eager with anticipation,
   could wade upstream or downstream,
   casting into the shadow of an old log
   and watch the water boil as a bass strikes.
Here was once a stream full of life
   as it bubbled over rocks and logs
   while racing over the sandy bottom to
   spill itself into the Sabine River.
The once crystal clear water is lifeless now
   as it runs black with effluence from progress.
As the stream bubbles over the rocks and logs,
   its soundless cries for help go unnoticed.
To watch it race along, one would think
   that it was moving faster and faster,
   trying to cleanse itself of man's waste.
The edges of the sand bars have no waders
   to cool their feet in the swift water.
We have lost one of the most beautiful streams in Louisiana.
What stream, bayou or river will progress take next?