At A Bus Stop

I am a BAD-ass muthafucka. I don' TAKE no shit. I OWN this street, I don' MOVE aside, if I WANT to talk to you, I DON' be quiet, if I want to DANCE on the sidewalk, I DANCE. You READin me?

When I ride the bus, I OWN that bus, if I want to rap, I GO'N to rap, if I want to spit, I GO'N to spit, if someone give me shit, I GIVE 'em shit, you can throw ME off, you TRY it.

I'm at the stop, this MY bus stop. I got to wait, I RULE this place.

This dude at my stop - now I don' disrespect no man just 'cause he a Suit, y' know? Any bro' 'spect me, I 'spect him, y' know? An' I could see this a bro', he look me straight in the eye, he 'spect me, he don' back off, he don' look 'round for no po-leece hat, he don' make no faces at me, he don' give me no fake jive. He jus' look me straight in th' eye, he 'spect me.

This mama at the stop, she a loser, man. She got her sorry nose stuck in some dumb book like she don' wanna know they's ANYbody 'round, let 'lone two big, dangerous, BLACK dudes. She at least forty-five, fat-ass dumpy, she could look like sumpin' but she dressed all sloppy-sweats, with bag-lady tennies and her hair tied back with a stupid rubber-band. She got a big cheap canvas bag with a jumble of who-cares in it, she a bag lady for sure.

I grin at my bro', I say, "She think she can hide 'hind that book forever, man?"

"Actually," he says, so soft you gotta reach for it, "she programs the computers for AT&T. Works the night shift. Gets along real well with computers. Not so good with people. Got a great sense of humor, though, you get to know her."

"Damn! Hey, man, how you get to know her that well, then?"

"My shelter closes at seven in the morning, doesn't open again until nine at night. I'm not up to doing much yet. I ride the bus a lot."

I'm just goin' to be quiet here awhile.

Anitra'sStreet Poem Collection