Reflection

Native Son ..
 
... rises on a new day O'er old sands.  
 
Reflecting  
 
I loved the black asphalt school yard courts on 135th and Lenox best  
 
big bold three foot letters on the wall declared  
 
HARLEM PLAYS THE BEST BALL IN THE COUNTRY.  
 
I drove by the courts the other day  
 
remembering I never cared about scoring  
 
it was always about owning the dude I was guarding.  
 
it was always a bonus if his girl was there  
then I'd embarrass him by knocking his shot onto the next court
 
everybody would collapse in laughter  
then I'd wink at his girl  
because I wanted to fuck her  
the same way I owned him  
 
with the same sweet stench dripping from my long limbs.  
 
now that was street  
 
ball  
 
in.  
 
today my knees and ankles are aching from a lifetime of good and bad shots, rebounds, and put backs
 
and the sign is gone from above the courts
replaced by blue eyed soccer moms and lumberjack bearded daddy jeans.
 
It's Columbus Day
 
again  
 
sure as hell ain't thanksgiving because I don't see any natives at the table.  
 
I keep driving  
 
my ball in my trunk  
 
an Invisible Man
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Native Son (1940) by Richard Wright is the unflinching story of Bigger Thomas whose life in poverty stricken Chicago tells the story of systematic injustice in America.  
 
Invisible Man (1952) by Ralph Ellison tells the story of a man who by virtue of his color is invisible to "others".  Nearly seven decades later this book is still a searing indictment on social inequality and racism.  
 
Painting: Kadir Nelson