The Thirteens (Black)
The Thirteens (Black) - meaning Summary
Urban Hardship and Resignation
The poem sketches a compressed portrait of a family and community ravaged by poverty, addiction, violence, and absence. Repeated snapshots—mother shouting, father at war, relatives imprisoned or addicted—build a sense of social breakdown and collective despair. The speaker addresses an isolated individual with pity, concluding that only the repeated phrase The thirteens. Right On.
remains. The refrain underlines resignation and a bleak, weary solidarity.
Your Momma took to shouting, Your Poppa's gone to war, Your sister's in the streets, Your brother's in the bar, The thirteens. Right On. Your cousin's taking smack, Your uncle's in the joint, Your buddy's in the gutter, Shooting for his point, The thirteens. Right On. And you, you make me sorry, You out here by yourself, I'd call you something dirty, But there just ain't nothing left, ‘cept The thirteens. Right On.
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