Playah





He stares at her
In public
And
In front of everyone
He pulls out a wad
Of crisp one hundred dollar bills
And sniffs them grandly
And gives them a big dry lick.

“That’s wot I’m talkin’ bout!”
He thrusts
Swaggering.

“I know I just met you
But I’ll buy you
A really nice thong
As a present.”

“My gift to you.”

“Shit! I’ll buy you a couple
If you let me watch you
Try them on.”

She is not running away.
She stays smiling.
It appears that she likes
The attention
In front of everyone...

His boyz.

Her girlz.

“Where did you get all that money, dat.”

“Keisha.”
“It’s Keisha, right?”

He pulls out his wallet
Saying to her
As he flips open to an empty
Plastic pocket

“Pretty Keisha.”
“This is where your picture
Needs to be.”

“You be playin.”
She says.

“Watchoo doin’ here?”

“Shopping for thongs
For pretty girls
Suchaz yerself.”

His boyz back him
Studying
Her girlz.

He adjusts his crotch
Still looking at her
His hand actually
Gripping himself.

“No you didn’t!”
Said one of the girlz.

“Did you see that Keisha?”

“Mmm, mmm. No you didn’t!”

“Let’s get outta here.”

“Don’t lissen to them.”
He said.

“Keisha, you gone stone cold crazy.”
“He’s just a playah.”

He took her hand and held it
Pressing something into it
While her girlz
Started pulling her away.

She could hear his boyz
Laughing
Congatulatory
Behind her.

Crowds of people moved around them
And hid her from view
As she looked down into her hand
Not
At a one hundred dollar bill
But a piece of paper
With a phone number on it.

“Playah.”
She whispered to herself

Dropping the paper to the ground
To be lost
Amongst hundreds of moving
Anonymous feet.