Thoughts on "We Real Cool"

     Of all the poems we read in class I believe "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks was the most naturally lyrical. it could easily be turned into a short song or even a nursery rhyme (not that children would understand it). The poem contains obvious rhymes and enjambment which contribute to its musical qualities.
     Now for a literary dissection of this short piece. The first two lines are obvious, 7 (presumably black) people are hanging out at a joint called "The Golden Shovel."  "The Golden Shovel" sounds like a nice place but it is probably no different from "The Snugly Duckling" in Disney's animated film Tangled. The next two lines make the reader assume the people are adolescent youths who are not attending their school. Lines 5 and 6 are ambiguous; "lurk late"could imply the adolescents hang out at The Golden Shovel until nightfall but "strike straight" is downright confusing. However, it could refer to striking the cue ball in a game of pool, though, what would I know about pool? I've played it three times in my life. 7 and 8 are another easy set of lines. "Sing sin" means singing profane or unorthodox music and "thin gin" denotes cheaply made liquor or alcohol.
     I'm devoting an entire paragraph to lines 9 and 10 purely because of the hilarity of different opinions posed in class concerning what the text means. The "Jazz June" section was especially hard to understand but yielded interesting conversation. Some suggested that "June" was a female person at The Golden Shovel, either a seductive waitress or prostitute who "jazzed" or "slept" with each adolescent. Then, they conteacted and STD and "died soon." However, despite the filthy sexual views of Western Civilization I do not find this possible. Another suggestion was that the adolescents danced to jazz music during the month of June---a logical activity at "The Golden Shovel." But why only in June?Why would Gwendolyn Brooks bring up "June?" Honestly, I don't think I can offer my opinion on this one.
     In general, the poem was written fairly well---especially considering it might depict a certain reality. "We Real Cool" should be noted for both its lyrical and narrative content.