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

Bad Hombres
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
25 Jul 2018
🖨️ Print Article
Bad Hombres
Central American has the highest murder rate on the planet, thanks to 2 centuries of US intervention.

Miguel was a precocious
six-year-old. And Maria,
his mother, swore the
Sun’s shine started in
his green eyes. ‘Ojos Verde,’
she lovingly called him.

Blessed with perfect pitch,
Miguel’s music aptitude
was off the charts! He could pick
Melodies out on the tiny, beat up
guitar, his Grandpa rescued from
Rich folks’ trash and put in Miguel’s
small hands the moment he walked.
And the sky was the limit—before
Bad Hombres with
Badges kidnapped him…

Floods of florescent light, 24/7
and arbitrary darkness behind
blacked out windows…remind
Miguel that his world is flipped
Upside down like a car skidding out of
Control somewhere in Oregon or New York.
He misses his Mommy; He rocks and chants
staccato licks, “Ma-ma, ma-ma, ma-ma…”

The sharp needle pierces his tender
Brown flesh. He screams, “Ma-ma, Ma-ma!”
Sunshine drains from emerald eyes into slo-
mo replays like red flags thrown through the
Rest of his life…

After 54 days Miguel’s reunited with his Mommy.
She searches scabies and lice for emerald sunshine,
Finding busted windows where a tortured soul and
Nightmares reside profitably: Childcare provided by
Bad Hombres—
drug dealers
and rapists…

© 2018. Raymond Nat Turner, The Town Crier. All Rights Reserved.

Raymond Nat Turner is an acclaimed poet and performing artist. Find much more of his work at http://upsurgejazz.com.

Central America

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 Alliance For Peace
    The Mask is Off: The Hideous Connections Between Zionism, Colonialism, Capitalism and Genocide
    15 May 2024
    The enemies of humanity are revealing themselves. It is up to the movement to rise to the occasion and deepen the analysis of the forces at play.
  • Marie Laurette Numa
    US Appointed Haitian Transitional Council Calls for Foreign Military Intervention
    15 May 2024
    The West is continuing to push through the occupation of Haiti, otherwise known as the Multinational Security Support Mission, using the Presidential Transitional Council as cover.
  • Shawn Musgrave
    Even Biden’s Lawyers are Urging the White House to Change Course on Gaza
    15 May 2024
    An open letter from government attorneys questions the legal cover for arms transfers to Israel.
  • Abayomi Azikiwe
    Imperialist Weaponry and Shifting Alliances in the Sahel
    15 May 2024
    Reports of the downsizing of Pentagon troops in Chad comes as the United States continues to delay departure from Niger.
  • Tea Troutman , Sherronda J. Brown
    The Southern Truth About Communism
    15 May 2024
    One cannot begin to understand the story of Southern resistance without recognizing the role of communism in the struggle.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us