Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire
  • omnibus

Buzzed In By Lewis
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
01 Feb 2018

5 in the morning, ‘The Lewis Sawyer Experience’
early morning Boys Club in Papa Sawyer’s Cave:
My lick for Lewis, “Lewis Sawyer, is my lawyer—”
his classic chuckle-comeback, “Well, you’re in bad shape then!”
Poets and last words, “Well, David McBurney is my attorney…”
But Lewis was a bullhorn, shouting names of our Political Prisoners,
Prisoners Of War, languishing forgotten in gulags across imprisoned
nation. He put 59,000 watts beneath their wings,without fanfare—
While reminding us: we’re just in Minimum Security…

Being buzzed in to the Mother Ship by Lewis
felt safe, welcome—presence appreciated—in
Good hands, a trillion times more reliable than Allstate
Lewis was the first face I’d see at the station—
unerring source for five-star information

Warmth was his uniform; his smile his badge,
reflecting respect back like a mirror from the
Mountaintop: all the authority a badass Angel,
sweet scientist, who could handle ‘situations…’
Required; I emerged from ‘Lewis Sawyer Experiences’
with double shot expresso optimism

A modest, minimalist, Monk life-stylist—
Count Basie of Kindness—
Not a whole lot of notes there
but his voicings sung and swung;
Duke Ellington of Passion:
Things he loved, he loved madly—
speaking of love—Lewis was LOVE
Not a mushy, gushy, sentimental bubblegum LOVE
But, an I believe in you, when no one else believes LOVE
I honor your light, anything I can do to amplify it LOVE
As you stand on stage, I’ll sit in the audience LOVE
Anything you need early in the morning LOVE
Release your worry beads, I got your back LOVE
Harness your hardships, “too big to fail” LOVE

Let’s suppose that place
preachers speak of Sundays
Exists; suppose I make the cut—
I bet Lewis will be there buzzing me in… Lewis Sawyer:
Presente!

poetry

More Stories


  • The Execution of Julian Assange
    Chris Hedges
    The Execution of Julian Assange
    14 Dec 2021
    Julian Assange committed empire’s greatest sin. He exposed it as a criminal enterprise. He documented its lies, callous disregard for human life, rampant corruption and innumerable war crimes.
  • AFRICOM, the US Africa Command, Tool of U.S. Global Hegemony
    Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    AFRICOM, the US Africa Command, Tool of U.S. Global Hegemony
    08 Dec 2021
    The U.S. Africa Command, AFRICOM, is a tool of destabilization for the US/EU/NATO axis of domination.
  • AFRICOM, the US Africa Command, Tool of U.S. Global Hegemony
    ​​​​​​​ Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist
    AFRICOM, the US Africa Command, Tool of U.S. Global Hegemony
    08 Dec 2021
    The U.S. Africa Command, AFRICOM, is a tool of destabilization for the US/EU/NATO axis of domination.
  • Democratic Party Betrayal, Abortion, and the Supreme Court
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Democratic Party Betrayal, Abortion, and the Supreme Court
    08 Dec 2021
    Democrats have been fooled into thinking that only the courts can protect abortion rights. In fact, legislation could protect abortion permanently, but their party has refused to do that.
  • People Centered Human Rights and the Black Radical Tradition
    ​​​​​​​ Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist
    People Centered Human Rights and the Black Radical Tradition
    07 Dec 2021
    The West’s fiction of “human rights” has been weaponized by neoliberals to rationalize naked imperialist interventions.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us