::02:07:08::

::: Uptown Found :::

Sometimes Americans, full-time Muslims

that kick it on the stoops in Harlem

trying on the Manhattan Breeze

like throwback jerseys,

Jordan kicks, barbershop fades that are all forgotten

when the mosque

calls for no shoes and head to soil

part-time Americans, overtime Africans

who fill parking spots with pristine Taxi cabs

sometimes thugs, like their Black American kin

but they smile too much and their slang is unknown to anybody

on this block

we’re not code breakers

us neighbors

of the young men from Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana

we just say silent hellos and hope they don’t become too American

before they stop smiling.

Written by: ~ Luzleaf