She making mention to the African american males of that time period who went to bars and played pool and jazz music and drank alchohol instead of finishing school
In the poem "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks, the speakers are young men who shoot pool at the Golden Shovel. The speakers are believed to be African-American since the author herself is an African-American woman. But the poem could, in fact, refer to any group of youngsters who have chosen (or been forced) to drop out of school and live a bit too intensely. The poem is as follows:
