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


  • The Torture of Assange Is Public Policy in U.S. Prisons
    Danny Haiphong , BAR contributor
    The Torture of Assange Is Public Policy in U.S. Prisons
    12 Jun 2019
    The psychological torture imposed on Julian Assange is not unlike the decades of torture imposed upon  Black political prisoners in the US. 
  • UN Rapporteur on Torture Says Assange Could Die in Prison
    Ann Garrison , BAR contributor
    UN Rapporteur on Torture Says Assange Could Die in Prison
    12 Jun 2019
    Julian Assange has been moved to Belmarsh Prison hospital and the UN Rapporteur on Torture has warned that he could die there. 
  • Letters from Our Readers 
    Jahan Chowdhry, BAR Comments Editor
    Letters from Our Readers 
    12 Jun 2019
    This week BAR readers discussed the Central Park Five, US support for jihadism, and Black Lives Matter.  Strong comments arrived for “
  • Some Critics Argue that the Internal Colony Theory is Outdated. Here’s Why They’re Wrong
    Patrick D. Anderson
    Some Critics Argue that the Internal Colony Theory is Outdated. Here’s Why They’re Wrong
    12 Jun 2019
    The internal neocolonialism thesis is not “race-centric” but anti-colonial, and explains Black elite behavior. 
  • BAR Book Forum: Therí Pickens’s “Black Madness :: Mad Blackness”
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Therí Pickens’s “Black Madness :: Mad Blackness”
    12 Jun 2019
    This book is dedicated to the Black mad and the mad Black everywhere.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us