Introduction “We Real Cool,” perhaps Brooks' best-known poem, subjects an equally representative experience to complex technical and thematic examination, both affectionate and critical. The poem has only twenty-four words, including eight repetitions of the word “we.” It is telling that the subtitle of “We Real Cool” specifies the presence of only seven pool players at the “Golden Shovel”. The eighth “we” suggests that poet and reader share, on some level, the desperation of the group voice conveyed by Brooks. The final phrase, “We will die soon,” takes up the carpe diem motif in the vernacular of Chicago's South Side. AnalysisThis poem has a touch of youthful freshness mixed with carefreeness and rebellious zeal. It's a short verse with great use of rhyme. On one level, "We Real Cool" seems to simply catalog the experiences of a group of dropouts content to "sing about sin" in every available form. A surprising ambiguity enters the poem, however, revolving around the question of how to emphasize the word "we" which ends every line except the last, p....