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

If ACE Was The Place
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
28 Feb 2012
🖨️ Print Article

by Raymond Nat Turner

If those who rule really wanted kids to be Aces in life, they wouldn't rig the decks.

If ACE Was The Place

Bake sales and raffles are

Fun, yet twisted inversions,

If five-sided operations

Are four part pyramid schemes…

If ACE was the place,

Sole supplier of weapons

For waging “war on terror—”

On the cheap—

Shipper of mirrors and razors

To Warlords of Wall Street and

Washington—mirrors for finding

Terrorists unerringly, and razors

For doing the right thing: surgically

Taking out, sans collateral damage,

Reflections threatening our planet…

If ACE was the place,

Then, maybe, we could develop

Cheryl Wilson Weapons Systems for

Wrapping arms securely around

Children entering the schoolyard,

And spraying them with friendly

Fire, with report resembling praise—

Weapons launching tutors at Ayat,

4th grader from Yemen, instead of

Hellfire Missiles from drones

If ACE was the place…

If ACE was the place,

Then, maybe, we could construct

Jeanette Gearring Weapons Systems for

Spying on students making super choices,

Doing good deeds during the day, and

Automatically charging them with being

Caught In The Act?

If ACE was the place…

If ACE was the place,

Then, maybe, we could assemble

Angelica Perez Weapon Systems for

Plotting strategies for increasing

Jonah’s reading fluency, and

Recognizing the twins, Brooke and

Jasmin, without retina scans?

If ACE was the place…

If ACE was the place,

Then, maybe, we could forge

Juan Zuniga Weapons Systems for

Listening in on conversations in

Angel’s belly, and providing food

With no oil, or strings attached…

If ACE was the place…

If ACE was the place,

Then, maybe, we could manufacture

More weapons of mass instruction

For Farmer Ben and Chef Kathy

For the war on Colonel Sanders,

Popeye, Jack, and Ronald McDonald?

If ACE was the place…

If ACE was the place,

Then, maybe, we could produce the next

Generation of Julie Venuto Weapons for

Launching IEPs, RTIs and other artillery

Supporting Special Forces, armed with

Love and commitment to Janvier, Danny,

Dalia, Sophia, Emeline, Michael and Elijah—

Like teachers Clementina, Chris, Rita, and Sian?

If ACE was the place…

If ACE was the place,

Then, maybe, we could construct

Lorna Cross Weapons Systems for

Coordinating Joint Operations with Henderson’s

4th division in invading San Francisco by BART,

Or Yellow busses, and occupying Mission Dolores

More often?

If ACE was the place…

If ACE was the place,

Then, maybe, we could assemble

Yusef Auletta Weapons Systems for

Graduating, rather than assassinating,

Ayat’s sister, the 5th grader, Mandal

If ACE was the place…

Then, maybe, we could develop

Cheryl Wilson Weapons Systems for

Marshalling ever more extraordinary

Renditions, like Aguas, Argueta and

Aulleta— a few good A’s—

If ACE was the place…

Raymond Nat Turner © 2012 All Rights Reserved

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles? Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.


More Stories


  • Black Agenda Radio for Week of August 24, 2020
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley and Glen Ford
    Black Agenda Radio for Week of August 24, 2020
    25 Aug 2020
    Creating Ownership, Equity and Income for College Athletes
  •  Getting Out the Word: #PrisonsKill
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley and Glen Ford
    Getting Out the Word: #PrisonsKill
    25 Aug 2020
    The Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee, IWOC, “is committed to the militant organizing of prisoners that takes its leadership and focus from those on the inside,” said Joergen Ostens
  • To Ignore Political Prisoners is Hypocrisy
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley and Glen Ford
    To Ignore Political Prisoners is Hypocrisy
    25 Aug 2020
    “Any movement that seeks to bring radical changes to society that does not incorporate at the top of the list freedom for our freedom fighter that have gone before, is hypocritical,” said J
  •  Creating Ownership, Equity and Income for College Athletes
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley and Glen Ford
    Creating Ownership, Equity and Income for College Athletes
    25 Aug 2020
    “College sports is a highly exploitive system where predominantly Black players in football and basketball generate all the income, but the only group that isn’t positively impacted is the families
  • Free All Political Prisoners – and Say Their Names!
    Glen Ford, BAR Executive Editor
    Free All Political Prisoners – and Say Their Names!
    19 Aug 2020
    It is righteous and correct to say the names of victims of police violence, but we must also “Say the names!” of our living political prisoners.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us