Adolescent barrio lotharios
Memorize & recite

      cinematic cadillac advice

                            holdin summer night summits
                            on other people's cars

Got romance down to a science  like alchemy

& more than happy
To explain
How to get to second base

                            by feelin up the cleavage
                            in the virgin/whore dichotomy

Girl lean over & unlock yo door  hey

Don't unlock it   ho

                                                  everybody nods & then
                                                  my man tris

                                                  raises the bar
                                                  on that foolishness
                                                  like buss this
If a chick doesn't think
Rakim is the illest mc ever

                    then man I can't fuck with her on any serious level

Everybody nods                           i squint
                                            into my brew
                                            & try to strip
                                            the concrete off the streets

Imagining harlem
When these hills
Were covered with trees
& teemed with dinosaurs

I smile around my straw
Replace papi's cornerstore
With a triceratops

& reflect that cats ain't got
No less hardheaded
Since the mesozoic era
On this block

                                 for evidence you can check
                                                 my homey brett
                                        the projects' best defense
                                        against a t rex on the flex

                                  even the way
                                        he offers you a beer
                                        is like a threat

Dudes been known to jet
Rather than deal with him & yet
You gotta give the cat respect

                                         the crazy
                                       spic-mick deck you in a sec
                                       blackbelt meathead
                                       lives in a world without regret

Now & forever
The unofficial president
Of the neighborhood pride association

                                meaning the only one   old school enough
                                    to scrap for his block's reputation

One of those
Dudes whose
Broma favorita's pissing
Right where people chillin
Instead of over on the wall

                          cats pick theyselves up quick

Askin what the fuck's the matter
                                                with you
                                                           as they scatter

                                only response they ever get is laughter

Busybody blockparty mamis
Swoop offa stoops
Like pterodactyls

If they smell a fight

                                     but nowadays not much jumps off
                                    to get them moving

It's just cats sittin chillin   bullshittin
                                                doin nothin

Empty cervezas frias jutting   from the pavement

                                                        like stalagtites

A lack of activity
Partly due
To the market's
Relative stability

                                    twelve years ago
                                    in the late
                                    shitisfuckedup period

                                    this block was hyperactive

                                    knee deep delirious
                                    in a crack economy

                                  oldtimers got war stories like iraqis

                            but today
                            a little bit of lley
                            & lotsa weed
                            is all you see

Next to the roti spot
Some muneca even opened a boutique

It's always empty
But then again so is papi's deli
Except for overripe platanos
Stale dutchies & brew

The tv repair shop
Except for electronic junkheaps
& four mujeres gordas
Playin poker in the backroom

& the unisex salon
Except for three bored bellas
Watchin telenovelas
& a clownmouthed pink lipstick wearin
Anciana from my building
Who stops in with her dog to talk

Only business on its feet appears to be
The chinese takeout kitchen

Which in addition to flippin
Sweet n sour chicken
& pork fried rice
Has now diversified
In order to embrace a wide
Multicultural variety
Of shit you can fry

Let me tell you
You ain eaten
Until you had platanos szechuan style

                                                   straight out the wok
                                                   with a little soy sauce

                                                don't think that shit
                                                won't hit you off

Cats go in there so much
They know everybody's name   address   diet

                            if he notice you ain orderin enough iron
                            money throw some spinach
                            in with your kung po shrimp
                                                             no extra charge

Even got free delivery
For when you too treed up
To walk a half a street up

                                  so it's no wonder
                                  styrofoam combination plate containers
                                  greased with emptysqueezed
                                  packets of duck sauce
                                  blow across
                                  the sidewalks of the block

As coolbreeze dances
With the merengue
Jimmy's blastin on his box

                                     two a.m. & no
                                     callate silencio
                                        from viejos in windows

                                        no noise reports no   cops

            plus when they do roll through they strangely cool
      all they say is quiet down or move it to the park

I'm telling you
Rita got a fat ass

                             pass the blunt

                                          damn it's still too goddamn hot

                       wish mami'd sent me to summer camp like ramon

Man fuck that nasty coldass lake & fuck ramon
Tomorrow we gonna take a wrench to that fire hydrant

                                          & go swimmin citystyle