As much as he is
A Black boy

He is not the noble poor
the stunning beauty
the wizened-Street smart
under-educated-choco-brown-never done a push up in his life-corn fed-naturally lean-youth
that comes to mind
when you say
Black Boy

Black as Black can be

He lives on
Bankhead/Foothill/Fulsom/Stony Island
where no one notices him
for the right reasons

He lives just past the
fish on Friday fish store
where no one notices him
for the wrong reasons either

He’s a fag
a real one
the kind of fag
that you would never call
Black Boy

While he does not have any boot straps
by which to pull himself up
he is not in any particular need
of a boot strap

No he is not the victim of circumstance
nor the wayward needy child of
crack

His name is not dough boy
trey, or bigger for that matter

He does not elicit desire
or sympathy

He is
a black boy
just the same