The Tar Beach Dare Game - written by Imam Hamzah Alameen (MHS)

The Tar Beach Dare Game
Some real places magically entice our imaginations to conjure up the spirits of adventure. Tar beach is such a place awaiting the magic of youth and the meandering dreams of old men. A long time ago someone said, "You know the best place to take a girl is tar beach right?" Without a clue we asked where and what tar beach was. Surprisingly we were told that tar beach was every roof in New York City, even the world for that matter. The roof is the perfect vacation getaway from the hood. It was even better than the parks, and places our parents took us, because we were far from adult eyes where we could do whatever we wanted to. It was an enchanted child's world which could be filled with whatever the heart desired. Also you could get a great suntan there, but we had no need for that. We immediately took to the roofs.
We scavenged our homes for blankets to lie on the roofs' tar paper to protect us from its heat. I thought someone should make white roofing paper and shingles to reflect the summer sun. Black was really damn hot. Our girlfriends loved tar beach because it was so very close to home and in a moment's notice they could sneak back to their apartments. Of course it was the necking that we all loved the best. Eventually we had umbrellas, cups, shades and hats we only wore on the roof. We had everything we needed on the beach.
It was one of those days that you could see the spires of midtown's office buildings just as clear as we could see the Palisades in New Jersey. To the north it seemed the bluest sky was the backdrop for the most playful and agile flocks of seagulls. Our sport was to throw bread to them which the birds would descend in the hundreds for, fighting and squawking all the while.
My best friends Hank and Nelson decided to show off in front of their girls. They were bragging that they could jump roof to roof from Convent, to Amsterdam Avenue . That would entail having to jump four times between five buildings. The first and third jumps happened to be quite wide and pretty much off limits. These were jumps that any professional athlete would have been challenged to complete, but we did not have enough fear and respect for life or we would never have tried it.
Roof jumping started because of the dare game. Dares was a sort of dangerous game that we played. The game could apply to anything that involved a dare. The way we played it you have a challenge that one must complete or he is called a punk or a coward. The last time we played was at 145th street on Riverside Drive, and the dare involved jumping into the Hudson River. We all did it and no one had gotten hurt. There was another time when we played super hero dare, and we had to swing from a pipe, like an action hero, and big Bruce ended up with a broken arm. So I was a bit afraid of the game, but I felt like I had to play because I did not want the other guys to call me a coward nor my girlfriend Sabrina to see me punk up. The dare game was peer pressure on steroids.
I had my radio jamming to, "Grooving on a Sunday afternoon...," and Sabrina was just about to feel me, the way I was feeling her...love. I had drenched myself with my brothers hi karate aftershave, and put on my Delancey Street fake silk shirt. It was on and popping like hot buttered popcorn and we began kissing and smooching. My hand was smoothly gliding up Sabrina's calf so the last thing I wanted to do was jump a damn roof.
Nelson started the game and said, "Henry, Butch both you dudes some scared ass niggaz straight like that!" I knew the shit was about to hit the fan, and I tried to change the subject but I was too late, Henry said, "Nigga pleaz? I can out do your ass in any sport or anything." There was no coming back now I knew, especially when Henry dragged my ass into it. "Yo! Butch, tell this punk that I am the baddest cat since Muhammad Ali." Of course since Sabrina was his sister I found myself agreeing with this fugazy ass dude. "That's right man," I said with all the sincerity that I could muster.
"Okay then let's jump roof to roof unless yawl scared," Nelson said. Henry didn't even say a word, maybe he did not even think a thought, and instead he and I just reacted to prior programming. It was like a code we all obeyed without doubt or question it was the coding of the streets. I could not help but think about poor big Bruce who was still wearing a cast from his last time playing the game.
We all knew the first roof was only jumpable by a few of our buddies, and in fact we were all in that elite group, but I can't say I felt one hundred percent sure. It was the third roof that each of us feared. Of the group it was Henry that was the strongest jumper. He had no fear. Nelson yelled, "Butch you down man?" I looked back at Sabrina's face, it was saying, "he could do it!" Before I could even reply Henry took off like a bat and took the first leap. He made it clear, and so Nelson took off too at top speed, and I decided what the hell and took off behind him. I heard Sabrina yelling behind me, "No Butch don't do it." I thought damn I messed up again, she didn't even care.
Henry was hitting the second roof and I was mid air watching Nelson already landing. I made it with a yard to spare, which fortunately was not as bad as being short, but was not altogether good since having by-passed, the ledge you take a tumble. The art of roof jumping was to take off on a run, and use, the first ledge as a spring board, and to land exactly on the ledge of the second roof. Nelson and I both paid the price of over shooting the ledge and took the spill. We sprang to our feet and took off. Simultaneously, we hit the ledge and were soaring to the third, and that is when it happened. A cloud cracked with bolt of lightning where before it seemed a beautiful sunny day. It started raining profusely, and Hank was already in the air jumping the longest roof. We landed only to see Hank spin his head toward us and feet go up in the air which was the worst thing that could happen. We saw him drop head first like an old ship anchor... five stories down.
The girls were already screaming and running back into the building. I was speechless and Nelson was crying, but so afraid he could not make a sound either. He ran to the roof door and I followed. We screamed in high pitches like our seagulls, do not ask why, but it was probably on account of what we knew Henry was feeling. We exited the building ahead of the girls who were frantic. I turned into the third building's entrance. I saw what no one could have guessed, because there was nothing extraordinary to be seen. Nobody sprawled out on the concrete bleeding, no mangled torso, or rolling detached head as I had imagined. There was nothing but blank concrete.
Then I heard a metal against metal sound, so I looked upward and climbing down the unfolding fire escape ladder, was Hank. He had managed to fall on the fire escape instead of the pavement, lucky for him. We were ecstatic that he had made it. The girls could not calm down. They were in shock and awe of us, just the way I liked it. We were just a couple of crazy guys and the girls were really impressed by our testosterone filled antics. I told Henry and Nelson, "Man I'm never playing that crazy game again", but truthfully I enjoyed every minute and would play the dangerous dare game again. The adventure was over and we reentered the ordinary world of our block which was so much better now after having left tar beach, our real, but imaginary getaway.