The headlights remember boys like us: black, unbroken
by the law. As they man us to the curb, Brandon says
he’s been broken before. But not like this. The car parks.
Two white men get out. Their blue uniforms adore their muscles.
You boys up to trouble?
Luther Hughes is a Seattle native and author of Touched (Sibling Rivalry Press, 2018). He is the founder/editor-in-chief of Shade Journal and associate poetry editor for the Offing. A Cave Canem fellow and Windy City Times Chicago: 30 Under 30 Honoree, he has published his work in Columbia Poetry Review, BOAAT, TriQuarterly, Adroit Journal, and others. He is currently an MFA candidate in the Writing Program at Washington University in St. Louis. You can follow him on Twitter @lutherxhughes. He thinks you are beautiful.