by BAR poet in residence Raymond Nat Turner
Now that Democrats are practically out of office, corporate donors are sponsoring empty spectacles of their own design, including another Climate March.
Red Alert
by BAR poet in residence Raymond Nat Turner
A Love Supreme,
A Love Supremeā¦
For Mother Earth and
Her creatures, her gifts
A Love Supreme,
A Love Supremeā¦
Dangerous dance, lethal songs,
Powerful prayersā
From the four directionsā
First Nationsā Spirit
Weapons of Mass Instruction
Amassing the worldās
Hearts and minds on the Cannonballā¦
A Love Supreme,
A Love Supremeā¦
For Mother Earth and
Her creatures, her giftsā
Water is lifeā¦
Capitalism death:
Profaning, poisoning, weaponizing waterā
Greasy Gulf water wiping mussel, crab, shrimp out
brownish Flint water bearing brain-damaged babies
black Pennsylvania prison water causing
Cancer; and young inmates hair to fall outā¦
Calling all R2P People
Come in R2P People!
Calling all Sanctions People
Come in Sanctions People!
Calling all No-Fly Zone People
Come in No-Fly Zone People!
Calling all Blockade People
Come in Blockade People!
Whereās the hue and cry:
āHeās using chemical weaponsā
Gassing, torturing his own people;
Cracking down on dissent, freedom
of speech, freedom of expression?
Whereās the tom-toms pulsing āregime changeā,
āregime changeā āregime changeā āregime changeā?
Calling all Peopleās Climate Marchersā
All 300,000 of you
Come in Peopleās Climate Marchers
Maybe youāre busy since Matthew hit Haitiā
Killing over a thousand?
Calling all Peopleās Climate Marchersā
All 300,000 of you
Come in Peopleās Climate Marchersā
Your Cochabamba moment flares up like
Ken Saro-Wiwaās spirit in Ogoni water warriors
In Water Protectors fighting Flint
Terror on the Missouri, protecting our
Lifeblood 7 generations deepā
Needing a āsurgeāāāboots on the groundā
Money for fighting absurd arrests
Medical supplies for tending class-war woundsā¦
Fluent in Forked Tongueāthe Drone Ranger declares
November āNative American Monthāāmorphing into
cross-dressing klansmen, reenacting hi-tech
Attacks taking down Occupy
Calling all Peopleās Climate Marchersā
All 300,000 of you
Come in Peopleās Climate Marchers:
come make me eat crowāmake me a liar;
Make me apologize
for saying you were āwhiteā folks firstā
Lovers of land, peoples, creatures lastā¦
For saying the prison-industrial-complex was
Cool with you, if only inmates wore
Recycled rubber sneakers; orange jumpsuits of
Organic cotton; beatings with bamboo batons only
Make me apologize
For saying you were OK with
Empire if electric Humvees and tanks, and
Solar-powered aircraft carriers were deployed
Calling all Peopleās Climate Marchersā
All 300,000 of you
Come in Peopleās Climate Marchers:
Forgive me, for a few of you have goneā
From the four directionsā
Smuggling Sitting Bull spirit salve, love balm, in
Eyes of Ida, hearts of Harriet, spines of John Brown
Tongues of Douglassā
Metal detectors, strip searches
Rarely detectā¦
Raymond Nat Turner Ā© 2016 All Rights Reserved
Raymond Nat Turner is an acclaimed poet and performance artist. find much mopre of his work at http://usspurgejazz.com
Orisanmi Burton is an assistant professor at American Universityās Department of Anthropology.
Shannon Jones is a member of the Spirit of Mandelaās Peoples' Senate Coordinating Committee.
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