“We Real Cool”
THE POOL PLAYERS.
SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL.We real cool. We
Left school. WeLurk late. We
Strike straight. WeSing sin. We
Thin gin. WeJazz June. We
Die soon.
Some of the greatest poems are incredibly simple at first glance. This poem, in my view, really needs to be heard in the voice of the poet. The poem, as read by Brooks, has a rhythm that echoes the music of the youth about whom she is writing.
The poem’s tone throughout seems light-hearted, in the manner of a disapproving adult mocking the absurdity of the sense of cool that exists among youth. The final line of the poem disrupts this upbeat tone. The message of the poem is simple yet profound. The choice that these boys are making, the street over school, will lead to an inevitable death. The poem thus becomes part of the discourse of African American masculinity.
The subtitle acquires its significance in the final line of the poem: “THE POOL PLAYERS. SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL”. The imagery is positive in one sense – the number seven and the golden image of the shovel are ostensibly images of good fortune. Where golden or otherwise, the shovel points to the boys’ inevitable deaths as a result of their choice to seek immediate gratification. They “lurk late”, “sing sin”, drink and party. The choice to live a life of immediate gratification instead of a life of education and responsibility is for Brooks at the core of the social problems facing inner-city male youth in America.
Again, the apparent simplicity of the poem belies a sombre lament for the young men the poet sees in the street.
Bruce Derby
