by Raymond Nat Turner
Livin’ on nothin’, while hunger works full time
No wonder, some brothers stumble into crime.
The Unemployment Question(s)
by Raymond Nat Turner
Licking bitter flaps on unemployment envelopes
somewhere under the rainbow
Lies
true hues
in bright Red,
Black
and dark Blues:
Drawin’ unemployment’s like drawin’ straws
Drawin’ unemployment’s like drawin’ straws
We come up short under rich folks’ laws.
Livin’ on nothin’, while hunger works full time
Livin’ on nothin’, while hunger works full time
No wonder, some brothers stumble into crime.
And the rich cry, “...crime, crime, crime” every day
And the rich cry, “...crime, crime, crime” every day
While cocaine’s trafficked by the C-I-A.
We been slavin’ fo’ the mastahs and what we git?
We been slavin’ fo’ the mastahs and what we git?
Stack-o-papers to fill out, askin’ dumb shit!
“State here the reason you’re out of work.”
“Answer the following then report to the clerk.”
“Will you accept work in your usual trade?”
“What’s your income with benefits paid?”
“Do you own a farm, or a ranch?”
“Do you have a savings? What branch?”
“Did you look for work all this past week?”
“Where did you go, with whom did you speak?”
“Are you a citizen of the U.S.?”
“If answering ‘No’, then why not ‘Yes’?”
“Have a seat and wait to be seen”
“Any questions about what we mean?”
“Anyone in line who voluntarily quit?”
“Step out — go over there and sit”
“Sorry, you can’t be seen until ten —”
“Provided, you fill this out for WIN...”
We been slavin’ fo’ the mastahs and what we git?
We been slavin’ fo’ the mastahs and what we git?
Appointment
with
revolution
When we fit…
Recently, readers have been discussing democratic socialists, American exceptionalism, and identity politics.
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In white patriarchy-ruled South Carolina at the turn of the 20th century, manhood sometimes created temporary yet tenuous bonds between Black and white men.
Toussaint stressed that freedom was something that had to be fought for and taken from below by the masses themselves. 
The eye-in-the-sky tells residents of the majority Black city that they are enemies of the state -- to be watched and, ultimately, crushed.
