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

For Fancy Miss Nancy
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
19 Dec 2018
🖨️ Print Article
Nancy Sue Wilson 1937-2018
Nancy Sue Wilson 1937-2018

Guess who I saw
today, black and white photo,
Marching, Montgomery from
Selma, ‘65?

Guess who I saw
at my high school swingin’ the
Trio; urging us to stay in school?

Guess who I,
was privileged to sequence
a later CD for, late one night?

…and you don’t know, you don’t know how
Glad I am that she
put the purr in whisper, with a sultry
Sound that could make subpoenas seem sensuous

…and you don’t know, you don’t know how
Glad I am that she
Appeared, sparkling, at the end of the
golden era—looking as good as she sounded—
Her face should grace
Buckeye State flags emblazoned
“There will never be another you…”

…and you don’t know, you don’t know how
Glad I am that she
Hovered earth— stunning hummingbird,
gorgeous humanitarian, giving the greatest
performance of her life, moments I loitered—
not seizing the time and asking, “When did
You leave heaven?”
Though, I think it was maybe ’37? I know she’s

Free Again…

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

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

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


More Stories


  • Will Chicago Get a Memorial to Honor the Survivors of Police Torture?
    Vaidya Gullapalli
    Will Chicago Get a Memorial to Honor the Survivors of Police Torture?
    26 Jun 2019
    The memorial would be a stone monument with the names of those tortured by Burge and his officers and the dates they were tortured.
  • Dates and Bullets: Sudan in the Grip of the RSF Militia
    Haim Salih 
    Dates and Bullets: Sudan in the Grip of the RSF Militia
    26 Jun 2019
    The Sudanese protest movement needs a focused strategy to resist the RSF's growing power.
  • How Teach for America Evolved Into an Arm of the Charter School Movement
    Annie Waldman
    How Teach for America Evolved Into an Arm of the Charter School Movement
    26 Jun 2019
    The huge nonprofit is backed by billionaire school privatizers with a sophisticated agenda.
  • We Have to Finance a Global Green New Deal – Or Face the Consequences
    Rachel M. Cohen
    We Have to Finance a Global Green New Deal – Or Face the Consequences
    26 Jun 2019
    How much money is the US and other rich countries willing to transfer to poor countries to reduce carbon emissions?
  • Why Venezuela Is the Vietnam of Our Time
    Celina della Croce
    Why Venezuela Is the Vietnam of Our Time
    26 Jun 2019
    Hybrid warfare combines military force with “unconventional” warfare, such as covert campaigns to destabilize the economy of targeted nations.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us