We Real Cool
Gwendolyn Brooks

The Pool Players. 
Seven at the Golden Shovel. 

We real cool. We
Left school. We

Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We

Sing sing. We
Thin gin. We

Jazz June. We
Die soon. 

People that aren't well versed in poetry (not unlike myself) may
have read that poem and chuckled. I'm not going to lie - I did that
the first time I read it also. But after rereading the poem several
times, I became so immersed in the endless possibilities of this
poem's meaning, I did some research on the historical context of the
poem and the poet herself. Through some research and analyzing,
I was able to get my thoughts rolling immediately. 

Through some research, I learned that the poet Gwendolyn Brooks
was an American poet, and this poem was written in 1959.
Common knowledge of U.S. history places her right within the
Civil Rights Movement. Keeping this in mind, I reread the poem
and explored some possible meanings. 

The most prominent and visually apparent element of this poem is
the structure - short one syllable words spaced apart within the
poem. This immediately gives off the vibe of someone defeated,
tired, bored, or even uneducated. The beginning of the poem
describes seven pool players, perhaps linking the idea of the
"lucky" number seven. This could mean these pool players are
lucky, or maybe they need luck. The place they are playing pool at
is called "Golden Shovel," which almost seems like a juxtaposition.
Golden is typically associated with warmth, shine, happiness and
bliss whereas shovel is more often associated with hard work and
maybe even a grave and death. 

The narrator goes on to describe his group of friends as "cool"
because they have left school. This automatically gives off the vibe
of some sort of gang. He claims that his gang "lurks late" and strikes
"straight." These words connote a sort of sneaky and stealthy feel,
indicating some sort of illegal activity that maybe occurring. My
premier thoughts reading this in context was that is must have been
a description of many youths in that time period, in the midst of a
society that was predominantly people that gave them the feeling
that they did not belong. This feeling of not belonging anywhere
gave them the incentive to engage in activities that made them feel
rebellious and excited. The narrator claims that they "sing sin,"
probably alluding to the gang's boasting of their illegal activities, 
which is furthered by the idea of thinning gin. 

The last stanza, in my opinion, is the one of utmost importance,
especially in closing the poem. Jazz was a type of music that had its
roots in slavery, which reminded me of the way these boys have felt
enslaved - yet this is contrasted by the month of "June" which
oddly connotes summer and freedom. This contrast exemplifies the
inner struggles within the boys to break free of the shackles they
feel hold them back (perhaps most importantly, society). When the
narrator says that he and his gang will "die soon," we realize that
the gang is fully aware that their activities will eventually lead to
their own death, but they no longer care, as their lives have lost
meaning in the first place. Their limited means of pleasure come
from the small forms of rebellion that take place when they "lurk
late" into the night. 

Through this story the poet relates many struggles of the youth in
that time period. Reading this poem refreshens the affliction that
consumed the youths that attempted to live freely in a society they
were told they did not belong in. Because such powerful emotions
were condensed such in such a small number of words, I felt the
power of each word hit longer and harder. This poem is so short,
but tells such a meaningful story that is so widely relatable on a
variety of levels. When you think about it, the poem not only
relates to a story, but also coincides with many thoughts that take
place within our minds. Through this, I think the poet succeeds in
drawing a connection between the past and our own selves, which

intrigues me all the more.