<P> "We Real Cool" is a poem written in 1959 by poet Gwendolyn Brooks and published in her 1960 book The Bean Eaters, her third collection of poetry . </P> <P> It consists of four verses of two rhyming lines each . The final word in most lines is "we". The next line describes something that "we" do, such as play pool or drop out of school . Brooks has said that the "we" s are meant to be said softly, as though the protagonists in the poem are questioning the validity of their existence . The poem has been featured on broadsides, and is widely studied in literature classes and re-printed in literature textbooks . It also contains references to the seven deadly sins . </P> <P> The last lines of the poem, "We / Die soon," indicate the climax, which comes as a surprise to the boasts that have been made previously . It also suggests a moment of self - awareness about the choices that the players have made . </P> <P> In an interview Brooks stated that her inspiration for the poem came from her walking in her community and passing a pool hall full of boys . When considering this she thought to herself "I wonder how they feel about themselves?" Instead of wondering about why they were not in school, Brooks captured this scene and turned it into the seven pool players at the Golden Shovel . </P>

What happens) to the speaker(s) of the poem we real cool