Poetry

Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
Meet me at Mary’s Place…
10 Mar 2021
“…he said if you can enjoy A real nice affair (Over at Mary's place—oh) Then you'll make it Your business to be right there… (Over at Mary's place— oh)” —Sam Cooke
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
Long Live the Legacy of Lawrence Ferlinghetti!
03 Mar 2021
Ferlinghetti might have been God ‘cause he almost lived forever; and Jersey Boys—Allen and Amiri— lyricized Coltrane’s “Welcome” and are singing it for him with rhythmic
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
He’s under suspicion…
24 Feb 2021
The rioters all knew him— it had to be an inside job— ‘cause to a man they spoke to him by name as they breached the building. Read their lips…
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
What did low Barr know?
17 Feb 2021
Liars, liars your loaded dice/tilted table theater’s on fire— But prosecutors and gas-lighting lawyers concur on Empire…
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
First 100 Daze: A ‘new’ dance craze
27 Jan 2021
Everybody’s wild ‘bout this ‘new’ dance craze— this lewd, crude dance called “The 1st 100 Daze…” Here come Ol’ Blak Schmo and Ladee Blu— listen up—they’re gonna teach it to you:
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
mashing the state— Kristallnacht-style
20 Jan 2021
Kristallnacht came casting lead ballots, overthrowing Black elected officials and Massacring those that VOTED for them— Wilmington, North Carolina, 1898;
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
This is what hypocrisy looks like…
13 Jan 2021
“It's like writing history with lightning.“ — Woodrow Wilson on Birth of A Nation
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
Think…
06 Jan 2021
Think of peoples having the most tanks, the most drones, the most missiles, bombs, aircraft carriers, guns, ammo and night vision goggles
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
Imagine: The Town Crier’s Cabinet Selections
16 Dec 2020
Cut plastic cuffs from imaginations— Dream larger in dire situations… IMAGINE every cook governing— every governor cooking up people puzzles—right livelihood alchemy…
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
$election postmortem
10 Dec 2020
It was the Latino Vote… No, it was the Latinix vote! No, it was Black Women! No, it was LGBTQ+ Black Women! No, it was Red State Soccer Moms!