Part 1

RAINES-RIBAULT NEIGHBORHOOD

Once upon a time,

before toy trucks were traded for toy guns;

before young boys stopped selling chocolate bars

blowing powdered rock candy into the hands

of the neighborhood dope fiends;

before we grew up to be loose dogs,

teenage boys running ramped

breaking laws like stealing cars;

before we became "them boys of the gang bang";

we were just kids rocking new fits—cousin's hand-me-downs—

thinking we were the shit;

runnin round on lil feet playing hopscotch

over broken liquor bottles;

collecting soda cans to put on our bike tires

so all anyone finna here is motorcycles.

Guess only our mothers remember how we were.