A Brown Atlanta Boy Watches Basketball on West 4th. Meanwhile, Neo-Nazis March on Charlottesville, Virginia.

Here the pain

mostly goes away.

A stinger someone tries

walking off, his face a mask.

He’s giving you

the ball Jay,

he’s giving you the ball—

Gary with the attack—

Thaddeus is having

the game of his life,

the MC says. Old men

watch in their grey mustaches

mouthing salt peanuts—

or toothpicks,

or day-old gum—

chewing the fat.

You see that?

He needs to just put

that back up.

The uniforms black

& blue as a bruise.

Must ignore the need

cuz we the news—

here every call

is wrong, all

fouls technical—

even here black

means guest, not home.

Forget about the refs,

they already told us

shut up. It’s us

against them

Let’s go.