In summertime, Louisiana is sprawling green and sparkling blue / the sound a moat / an ivy-covered wall / glass mirrors, sharp angles, strange stones, tangles of leaves

In wintertime, Louisiana is a fortress / Slippery stairs to angry, battered shore / foamy white waves and wind eager for a chance to slap you in the face.

You might catch a man, all pale and trembling nude, slip into the water, and turn away in disbelief.