by Raymond Nat Turner
Tic-Tac-Toe, X versus O
Shrewd black buck dancer
O a cancer— X an answer
Malcolm X Tic-Tac-Toe in the Age of…Austerity?
by Raymond Nat Turner
Vertical, diagonal, horizontal moves
Of Malcolm X, martyr, giant, live on
Like simple grid, paper and pencil games
Of Noughts and Crosses, 3-in-a-row—
Tic-Tac-Toe in the age of… Austerity
X, like exciting, expanding, extending,
X, like exalting, exemplary, example,
Excelling, exceeding— revolutionary as
Exponential, unlimited—far as you dare!
O, as in hollow, phony, posture, nothing!
O as diversion, like COINTELPRO, Psy-
Op or false consciousness like blue-collar
Workers masquerading as middle-class!
3-in-a-row, X versus O
Tic-Tac-Toe, X versus O
Shrewd black buck dancer
O a cancer— X an answer!
Africom boots on the Congo
Banksters bagging big dough
Mother Africa their hoe
A peculiar quid pro quo
Slaves cheering status quo
Their beer full of GMO—
Madison Avenue mojo!
3-in-a-row, X versus O
Tic-Tac-Toe, X versus O
Shrewd black buck dancer
O a cancer— X an answer!
Negroz go pianissimo
Fiery X’s blocked by O,
Rich white house Negro,
Attorney Generalissimo
Super of Guantanamo
Teachers rise against O
Working-class Tic-Tac-Toe!
3-in-a-row, X versus O
Tic-Tac-Toe, X versus O
Shrewd black buck dancer
O a cancer— X an answer!
Raymond Nat Turner can be contacted at upsurgejazz.com.
Raymond Nat Turner © 2013 All Rights Reserved
"Gambling Man" is the latest from BAR's Poet-in-Residence.
In a Black Agenda Report exclusive on May 29, 2026, former Bolivian president Evo Morales Ayma spoke with correspondent Clau O’Brien Moscoso.
The Alliance of Sahel States are fighting against western backed terrorists. But neighboring Nigeria is a western puppet state and does not protect its own people or territorial integrity, choosing…
Speech delivered by Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and president of the Republic, at the commemoration of the 95th birthday…
The Socialist Movement of Ghana declared its strong opposition to their government's invitation to French president Emmanuel Macron to speak at a conference on reparations.
