A common theme in my writing during the late 80s was Africanism, the flip side of which, I suppose, was Negroism. This was one of my favorite poems about Negrishness. It’s never been published anywhere before.

Word.
Met this cat name Luce
other night
on The Corner
hunnet twenny-fif’ street an’ Lenox.
He was just hangin
with the fellas.
Dem neggas ain’t no good
but
Luce, he cool.
We was checkin out da honeys
and selling rock
by the tens.
Good night, you know?

He took a liking to me
right off.
Gone set me up
some heavy connections
you know, some serious weight
an’ not everybody
gets the good stuff.
Gotta make the most
when opportunity knock.
Dat’s what Mama
use to say.
Like I said,
bruh Luce an’ me
was down.

He even told me
I could pay him
his cut
later.

Said I was going
places.

6/12/1987