Ring of Fire by Kevin Young
At the strip
club we come
for the ladies but stay
for the buffet.
In Vegas we feel paradoxical
as jumbo shrimp–
Everything here is for sale
& what’s not
for sale is free.
In walks Dennis Rodman
hat pulled low, wearing a disguise
in hopes
of getting recognized. Between dances
they announce him
over a microphone
like bingo.
When we return
to our hotel, dawn
has long gone
& the pool slowly fills
with fools drained
like us.
We brown our already
brown bellies
& I ask my buddy
Think anyone
would guess us black
boys are a doctor
& a professor?
It’s not that folks can’t
imagine it, just
they don’t even bother
to consider us
at all. Unlike us,
our drinks are expensive
& too strong. All night long
at the Hold’em table
we’ll gamble it all
like tin men hoping
for hearts. Art by Aaron Douglas
Recommended listening: Fresh Squeezes - Limes Tiny Desk Concert: Ta-ku and Wafia
Links of the Day: Right on track: On the joys of Train Travel Maricor and Maricar Manalo — The Design Files Mary & Max (full movie) Inside India’s home-brewed design revolution