Nylon, Black, ’72

By Ariana Brown

I don’t know why

most mexicans in my hood

wore nike cortez’s–

why the breakers in my crew

polished ‘em daily,

as if a little spit could

salvage our childhoods–

why we all know cortez’s are best

for c-walking, gang shit,

sick moves thrust

upon an opponent’s pride–

why we thought

by wearing the name

of our conqueror,

we might somehow

become him

Copyright Credit: Ariana Brown, "Nylon, Black, ‘72" from We Are Owed. Copyright © 2021 by Ariana Brown. Reprinted by permission of Grieveland LLC.

Source: We Are Owed