Alan King's fiction and poems have appeared in the Arabesques Review,
Warpland, The Amistad, and Fingernails Across the Chalkboard: Poetry
and Prose on HIV/AIDS, among others. A Cave Canem fellow and Vona
Alum, his work was also part of Anacostia Exposed, a collaborative
exhibit with Irish photographer Mervyn Smyth that showcases the life
and energy of Anacostia.
Alan has written articles for NewAmericaMedia.org, Prince George's
County Gazette, East of the River, District Chronicles, and
Washingtonpost.com. He is the author of his chapbooks "Transfer"
and "The Music We Are" – also the title of his manuscript.
Please visit his other pages: Bus Pass and The Music We Are
Daredevil Savior
I hear my brother screaming,
and through a window,
see him lying on the curb –
his head, arms and legs bleeding
He tried to ride my bike
again – the gray Huffy's
20-inch frame – too much
for him to handle, but not enough
to shake his fearlessness
of anything larger than himself
not even our high-strung mom,
scolding his disobedience
after rushing outside with her prayers,
cotton swabs and rubbing alcohol
Club 5
Jason pointed at me
earlier.... it's open bar,
and your drinking soda!
he'd shouted over the bass
and a woman on his shoulder
chanting: Pepsi boy! Pepsi boy!
Now, look at him – eyes
glazed over and moaning
with vomit all over his shirt
We had waited hours for
Nas, who didn't bother to
show for his own party
But I help Jason to the car
after bouncers carried him
out for throwing up on
the walls and furniture
What'd I miss? he says
before I watch him fall asleep
in the passenger seat
knowing when he sobers,
I'll tell him Nas was great,
too bad you passed out,
you should've been there
Larry Says
it was humor that opened
even the toughest woman
if you got her to laugh or smile at
somethin' you said, you were in there
when I was growin' up,
part of bein' a man was knowin'
how to talk to a woman
if you were datin', you didn't show up
at her place empty-handed either
after dabbin' myself with English
Leather, I'd run to the drugstore
for flowers and candy
the smoothest of the smooth
would be outside his lady's spot –
holdin' a bottle of 'Bird with
the Whispers or Stylistics
vinyl under his arm
but we far from those times
today, I stood in a parking lot,
shakin' my head after a boy
cussed a woman out for not
givin' up her phone number
young people frustrated
chivalry's got a headstone –
the kids call it role reversal
but I'll never get used to watchin'
a woman open a door for her man
what kind'a man he s'posed to be, anyway?
folks today would say he metro-
somethin'.... in my day, we'd call him
somethin' else
can't forget our youth
with old souls
just when I'm ready to give up
on this generation, somethin'
keeps me hopeful
like the other night, I seen
this woman struggle to get
her coat on.. a young man
helped her
and all she could do was smile
yeah.. he in there
