Roll Down

She is 15 and black,
Strong, confident, arrogant
In her youth and experience,
Hustling, grifting with her mother
On a street corner in Austin Texas.
She is knocking hard on my driver’s
Side window with her contribution
Can confident at her mother’s
Side collecting from whoever
Is gullible enough to give.
She shouts at me, “Hey!
Roll down your window.”
I smile at her looking
Her in the eye which
Surprises her as not
Many want eye to
Eye contact and
I think, “I to her
Mind” and I
Slowly
Mouth clearly
The words to her,
“Do you really want ME
To roll down this window?”
She involuntarily jumps back
And hides behind her mother who
Looks at me with alarm as I drive
Slowly on through the green
Light and muse on the girl’s
Life being taught to grift
By her mother rather
Than get a job for
Less money but
She has no
Respect
For
Book
Learning
Hence no
Viable hope of
A formal education
And a job worth her time
In terms of remuneration so
She grifts but now has
Learned that not all
Patsys are easy
Marks and to
Work the
Streets
Is a
Dangerous
Game to play
As just sometimes
Only the glass window
Protects her from
What is inside
The car and
Her mother
Will not be
There to
To help
For
Ever
In a life
Rolling down
Hill.