We Real Cool

We Real Cool


We real cool. We
Left School. We

Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We

Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We

Jazz June. We
Die soon.


Perhaps Gwendolyn Brooks best known poem, We Real Cool deals with the plight of young, urban African American teenagers. This subject matter would be considered typical for Brooks, who wrote almost exclusively about African American issues as well as all facets of life. We Real Cool tells the story of young African Americans skipping school ("We Left School") , staying out late at night ("We Lurk late") and playing pool ("We Strike Straight". They drink and make detrimental decisions, and their future is grim, evident by the last line, "We Die soon." 


The line breaks in the poem are interesting and unconventional, but call attention to the issues at hand. Their abruptness lends itself well to the disturbing subject matter and social commentary on at risk youth. The poem would not be so striking if Brooks had just listed out the actions of the children. The capitalization of verbs is effective for the same reasons.


The incorrect grammar indicates the poor education of the speaker of the poem, most likely because he or she skips school often. It evokes sympathy in the reader, because the situation is all to familiar in urban communities-- the vicious cycle of lack of education, destructive decisions and other urban issues. 


The rhyme scheme makes the poem compelling and memorable. Personally, I read this poem first in middle school. It has stuck with me to this day because of it's quick rhyme scheme and touching subject matter.