Play Ground

On the basketball court,
young boys talk
about taking the good shot
or making a slam-dunk.

Outside the fence,
teenage boys, too cool
for games, and too old
for pop guns and pea
shooters, kill time,
get high
on beer and wine,
listen to hip-hop
on a boom box
and talk of Mac-10s,
Tech-9s, 8-Balls
and Uzies.

Out on the street,
it’s about money
and power,
where manhood
is measured
by caliber
and millimeter.