on his left arm. I try to read it. ‘Shame?’

Naw, it’s my name. I was pretty wasted

when I did it. Kind of messy handwrit-

ing. On my right arm it’s different. Says ‘Rest

In Peace’. That’s my dad’s picture. Only one

I got. He was twenty-eight when he died.

   Ten years older’n me. Lived fast and died

   pretty. That’s what it says. Yeah, it’s a shame.

   I hardly even met him. I got one

   brother and five half-sisters. He didn’t waste

   time, my dad, he wasn’t waiting for the rest

   of his life to have kids, nope, had us right

off, first one in his teens, the twins came right

after that. Took a lot of chances. Died

like that. I got this one here with the rest

of the men in my family. I’m not ashamed

he went to jail. He wouldn’t let us waste

our time on what can’t be changed. Maybe one

  day I’ll figure out who did him. Bet one

  of his other women. ‘That’s all she wrote.’

  Sure. See, he was a Businessman. Wasted

  by his own. “In the line of duty.’ Died

  like he lived, on the high flash and style. Shame

  it went in the ground with him. With the rest

to the funeral parlor. Laid to rest

with a $1000 Rolex and one

hundred brand new dollar bills. Shame

I couldn’t fit that on the picture. Right

under his name, where the skull is. Ink died

out right there. Wish I hadn’t gone and wasted

  so much on my left arm. Don’t want to waste

  anymore on myself. I’ll put the rest

  on when I get the cash. Back when he died

  they didn’t tell me nothing.  Just said ‘one

  of life’s mysteries, some pass on young, right

  or wrong,’ well he’s my dad, I’m not ashamed,

his life weren’t no waste, I’m Best of the Rest,

Shane not Shame, my arm’s dyed with his colors

I’m gonna do it, I’m the Right Bright One.