I found this poem particulary interesting as it was written in 1966, but describes the same "Thug Life" mentality held by gang members in today's society. The Golden Shovel sounds like some kind of grimy pool hall populated by shady characters who steal or sell something illegaly. Brooks most likely wanted to show her readers what the motivation was for these people. She makes the gang life sound somewhat cool, but at the last possible moment, she warns of the biggest danger of evading the law; death.
The poem embodies the spirit of the era as it describes how many of the young black men of the time tried to make money in a country unwilling to hire them.
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