M’Shai S. Dash
Sun is mischievous in the ghetto
luring soft-legged girls
to the concrete money-hunt
where flashy cars roll
down the avenue slow
& every cherry ice pop is melting
on the sticky fingers
every little thing is
dripping and sweet
Because Sun makes everything ooze
Sun makes everyone sweat
But sweat is fashion in the ghetto
the cheapest fashion one can get
Glistening on collarbones and necks
Producing tendrils at the nape
Sun makes clothing kiss your skin
and melts all your
sharp corners round
Sun don’t care about your errands
Sun just craves to
bake you you brown
& strip you naked
& break you down
Some men are
naked to-the-waist
to catch each fleeting afternoon
revealing war ink
on smooth brown canvas
tattooed like the Zalimun
their salty droplets are offered to the
Porous asphalt
But the metal hoops do not stoop or smile
Hubals of the b-ball Court
Are quite familiar with Ra’s trials.