We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks

Poem originally published in ‘The Bean Eaters’ in 1960, and often cited as one of the most celebrated examples of jazz poetry.

THE POOL PLAYERS.
SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL.

We real cool. We
Left school. We

Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We

Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We

Jazz June. We
Die soon.