She wore those brown shoes 

Grandma’s knees from 

Trumpet blurs and conga drum loud purrs 

Those brown toes learned to thump along 

Night after night singing the same jazz songs 

She be from THIS place from a time when 

Those brown hard bottom shoes 

Paid their dues as they tapped those blues 

Side by side with the greats like with sista Sarah Vaughn 

And Buster was a Brown 

Found downtown 

And every baby’s foot bottom 

Was hard and walking dem shoes 

Singing Halsey St. Buster Brown blues 

What you know ‘bout that?

 

She be from here from a time 

When Amiri sang Kaba Blues 

looking down into courtyards bubbling 

With brown hues 

Huddled there after making way 

For industry highways 

Broke streets down 

Separated sections and called one Ironbound 

When north was still Newark 

And fresh meat markets still sold pork 

That’s before Unity beef of course 

From new high-rise views 

Where new projects being built were the news 

Hey girl where you get dem shoes? 

She be from here from a time 

When the Black church burned down 

And the rectory moved them downtown 

Where purple easter hats off the rack 

Dawned heads of women dressed sharper than tacks 

Balconies groaned from the moans 

Of grandma, aunt Jane, aunt Ruth and the kid candy filled mouths 

Segregated hours in the lord’s house 

Kept folks sane while looking out the window 

With views of Hahnes

And ain’t no Blacks in there 

Racists BS I swear 

She be from here from a time where 

S.Klein marked the spot 

2 Guys joined in after 

Bamberger didn’t know Macy’s 

Where McCrory’s sold the biggest panties 

In the basement 

At least they were lacy 

Where the Milk Bar let uncle Ray talk ‘ish 

Before serving him his fish 

Where the southside met Malcolm 

And changed its name 

When the first Black mayor rose to fame 

Not you Baraka his name was Ken 

You didn’t even know you back then! 

Where folks new the numbers and played them too 

11. 13, 18, 24, 31 (brown or green) 

Where to ride and who could be seen

 

She be from here from a time when 

John’s bargain store was a dirty word 

From where army and navy had 2 stores for more 

From The Adams, The Loews, The Paramount, 

The Elmwood stay away from The Little 

All the kids tried to solve that riddle! 

Broad St cafes Brandford Place 

All aboard Greyhound, Penn Sta. 

She be going downtown dollars for bottles 

From Thom McCan Chock Full-o’Nuts 

McCrory’s cotton candy and cone shaped papercups 

Orbach’s, Kresge, Woolworth, 5 and dime 

Way before dollar stores were the find 

RKO, Proctors, sneak into drive-ins 

She be from here 

Tap dancing ’round with brown shoes on ground 

Real gun shots from riots 

High St was High St and mansions were majestic 

She be from here 

Kick the can 

Hide and seek 

I D-Clare war 

Streetlights on you betta’ hit that door 

She be from here 

Her brown buster browns

Could be found 

On feet that stomped around here 

From mornings to dark 

In Branchbrook park 

With tee shirts that read 

Straight outta New-Ark!

Amira Shabazz-Bilal is a Newark native and current Newark Public School teacher. She has contributed photography, art, and poetry to The Newarker.