m review — poetry — playground royalty — the ideology of the lean
Playground Royalty
by Randall Horton
Emily and Angela's elbows
are turning counter and clockwise
at the same precise moment.
Two clotheslines intertwine until
they evolve into phantasm. Sun
is tilted slightly right, both girls
are bookends to Michelle, who has
been challenged to double-dutch.
Eyes study intently. She crouches
knees, cradle rocks back and forth,
waits for the down swing. Air born-
transforms into a pogo stick. Eyeing
onlookers, she flashes a juvenile smile
full of soft metal. Skirt hem rises,
teasing boys who dream hazelnut skin.
Chewing gum to a spiral illusion,
legs run in place, dare velocity to
un-rhythm time as she nonchalantly
negotiates each scrape of black top as
black patent leather shoes blur. Fluid
body movement is testament to mastery
of beat and meter. Without warning,
she senses deception, lifts feet in unison,
missing a double rotation-uncurls legs
back into the horizontal cyclone,
evoking gasp of breath and palm slaps,
etching her feat into playground folklore.
The Ideology of the Lean
by Randall Horton
I'm thinking to myself Superfly the first time I see
Pocketknife bend the corner between history and
algebra class, almost hugging brick wall with his
right shoulder, the stringent sway of his left arm like
a well–oiled piece of machinery in search of a brace
to propel his half-bounce strut. Although his strides
are not long, each time he thrusts the bow of his legs,
then drag pigeon-toed feet forward, the circular crack
of space revealed speaks of contempt, a trait that will
always keep him unchained. So I emulate his defiance,
practicing in front of full length mirrors anywhere I can;
perfect my own variation of the lean until it feels natural
so I can express my entire belief system in a walk.
Randall Horton of Chicago, IL
Randall Horton is a poet living in Chicago as well as a MFA candidate in poetry from Chicago State University. He currently is a poetry reviewer for Black Issues Review with upcoming publications in the anthologies Tigertails and Crossroads.
