A gorgeous poem for anyone following both the playoffs and the tour, god forbid

[lahockman]

Slam, Dunk, & HookBY YUSEF KOMUNYAKAAFast breaks. Lay ups. With Mercury'sInsignia on our sneakers,We outmaneuvered to footworkOf bad angels. Nothing but a hotSwish of strings like silkTen feet out. In the roundhouseLabyrinth our bodiesCreated, we could almostLast forever, poised in midairLike storybook sea monsters.A high note hung thereA long second. OffThe rim. We'd corkscrewUp & dunk balls that explodedThe skullcap of hope & goodIntention. Lanky, all hands& feet...sprung rhythm.We were metaphysical when girlsCheered on the sidelines.Tangled up in a falling,Muscles were a bright motorDouble-flashing to the metal hoopNailed to our oak.When Sonny Boy's mama diedHe played nonstop all day, so hardOur backboard splintered.Glistening with sweat,We rolled the ball offOur fingertips. TroubleWas there slapping a blackjackAgainst an open palm.Dribble, drive to the inside,& glide like a sparrow hawk.Lay ups. Fast breaks.We had moves we didn't knowWe had. Our bodies spunOn swivels of bone & faith,Through a lyric slipknotOf joy, & we knew we wereBeautiful & dangerous.Yusef Komunyakaa, "Slam, Dunk, & Hook" from Pleasure Dome: New and Collected Poems. Copyright © 2001 by Yusef Komunyakaa. Reprinted with the permission of Wesleyan University Press.Source: Pleasure Dome: New and Collected Poems (Wesleyan University Press, 2001)