CCJC: Audio Podcast Episode 00070, Season 2
Every once in a while, Cajun Podcast Corporation’s staff dares to let a few unruly thoughts on weeds of contemplation sprouting in the manicured lawn of conventional wisdom. Today, we are diving headfirst into a particularly prickly pear patch of our societal obsession with outward “perfection,” especially when it comes to that oh-so-scared path of golf course green some call a lawn.
It strikes us that our dear listeners and readers sometimes seem to graze along rather like a docile flock of mourning doves, adopting a deliberately cultivated mindset of flawless exteriors. We meticulously prune our hedges, banish a single errant dandelion, and wage chemical warfare on any sign of natural exuberance, all in the name of show-off curb appeal.
Now, because we are headquartered in NOLA, most of us aren’t dealing with feeling the need to join the cult of conformity. But we do have family, friends and even some 2nd homes that do have lawns. That knowledge led us to the discussion of the relentless pursuit of the picture-perfect? Are people so focused on the superficial sheen that we’re blindly trampling over what’s genuinely good, genuinely safe, and dare we say, genuinely beautiful for the environment around us? Hmm. . .
It’s as if we’ve been handed a modern stylistic shepherd’s crook, guiding us and our listeners towards a vision of non-Louisianan ideas of suburban utopia. A place paved with perfectly uniform blades of non-native grasses. Some are already trapped in fretting over the judgment of the neighborhood association, the silent disapproval of compulsively OCD maintained landscapes.
If in doing so, wouldn’t we be sacrificing the vibrant biodiversity that sustains the very air we breathe and the buzzing life that enriches our world? It also begs to “the” question? Have we become so engrossed and obsessed in the “look” of perfection, that we will forget to consider the “reality” of what truly thrives naturally? — Jerilee Wei © 2025
To explore this rather skewed mentality, we did a little group satirical verse that hopefully sheds some light to the open discussion. Just a little bit of group playful scorn – on this curious human tendency. Now let’s have a listen to “The Cult of Carpet Green.”
Ode To The Obnoxious Cult Of Carpets Green
Cult of Carpet Green, a nationwide spreading fancy frou frou fescue verdant tyranny,
Where manicured mosquito munchie blades must stand in forced strict conformity.
No rebel powder puff pink herbaceous mimosa clover dares raise its clover-like head,
No carefree European introduced dandelions to shine bright yellow and spread.
A sterile narrow-minded kingdom, bought at nature’s cost.
Suburban privy pasture patriarch and matriarch gods, sprayers in their latex hands,
Declaring hurricane force war on nature, reshaping untamed into submission lands.
“Unruly unauthorized blooms!” they cry, with righteous, furrowed threaded brows,
“Your flashier than a peacock in full strut rebel chaos is something we will not allow!”
A sterile narrow-minded kingdom, bought at nature’s cost.
The native arrow leaf five petal blue and purple violets, peeking shyly through,
Are deemed a “weed,” despite a scandalous, rouge spectacular hue.
The buzzing sweet bee honey bees, who merely seek their pollen sweet,
Are met with sprayed poisons, a most unwelcome dooming treat.
A sterile narrow-minded kingdom, bought at nature’s cost.
For where is the true natural Louisiana beauty in their narrow sterile sight?
About-to-be chemical-kissed swampland, in danger of being shorn of its natural light.
Crime scene perfect putting-green, Disney World expanse, artificially smooth & bland,
Modern tribute to the boredom spectural sprinkler society, fastidiously planned.
A sterile narrow-minded kingdom, bought at nature’s cost.
Fretting over generations of 1700’s European invading dandelion sunny joyful stars,
Ignoring skies polluted by their gas-guzzling pirogues on wheels big-butt SUVs.
They banish pink and purple swamp milkweed, food for resident monarchs grand,
While praising the unseen reaper pesticide, now blowing across barren sand.
A sterile narrow-minded kingdom, bought at nature’s cost.
Their entitled children play on lawns very much devoid of Mother Nature’s life,
Where earthworms hide, birds refuse to visit escaping endless starving strife.
They boast of “curb appeal,” under the appeal of a spectral veil of fake emerald facade,
While Louisiana’s flora and fauna sadly weeps, her dazzling colors fade.
A sterile narrow-minded kingdom, bought at nature’s cost.
So let those those perfect cult of conformity true believers toil, lawn-obsessed zealots,
Their weekends lost to sprinklers & their side-walk rimmed chinch bug infested plots.
Instead may more yards wildly dance of dandelions cousins in golden cheeky glee,
With their eye-popping nature inspired wind driven rebellion for all the world to see!
A sterile narrow-minded kingdom, bought at nature’s cost.
True beauty in life blossoms both wild, thumbing-their-noses-at-you and unrestrained,
Louisiana’s people know the best life is where Cult of Carpets Green don't remain.
A sterile narrow-minded kingdom, bought at nature’s cost and our greatest loss.
Our fictional and non-fictional tales are inspired by real Louisiana and New Orleans history, but some details may have been spiced up for a good story. While we've respected the truth, a bit of creative license could have been used. Please note that all characters may be based on real people, but their identities in some cases have been Avatar masked for privacy. Others are fictional characters with connections to Louisiana.
A Word of Wisdom:
As you read, remember history and real life is a complex mix of joy, sorrow, triumph, and tragedy. While we may have (or not) added a bit of fiction, the core message remains: the human spirit's power to endure, adapt, and overcome.
© Jerilee Wei 2025 All Rights Reserved.
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