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


  • Letters from Our Readers 
    Jahan Chowdhry, BAR Comments Editor
    Letters from Our Readers 
    15 May 2019
    This week the hypocrisy of Democratic Party presidential candidates and the reality behind the nonprofit industrial complex were topics on your minds.  Readers wrote about “
  • BAR Book Forum: Renisa Mawani’s “Across Oceans of Law”
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Renisa Mawani’s “Across Oceans of Law”
    15 May 2019
    The mass deaths along the Mediterranean are part of a much longer colonial history of maritime security aimed at protecting the freedom of (European) mobility.  
  • BAR Book Forum: Symposium on Achille Mbembe's "Critique of Black Reason" (Part 3)
    Calvin Warren
    BAR Book Forum: Symposium on Achille Mbembe's "Critique of Black Reason" (Part 3)
    15 May 2019
    Mbembe invites us to rethink the foundation of thought upon which the world is predicated. 
  • In Baltimore, Police Officers Are the Bad Guys With Guns
    Baynard Woods and Brandon Soderberg
    In Baltimore, Police Officers Are the Bad Guys With Guns
    15 May 2019
    Plainclothes police officers are waging war on citizens. “They often planted guns and resold narcotics.”
  • Adrift in a Decolonizing World, the White Settler Makes a Final, Furious Stand
    Jon Jeter
    Adrift in a Decolonizing World, the White Settler Makes a Final, Furious Stand
    15 May 2019
    From Ramallah to Rio, Capetown to Caracas, Green Bay to Gaza, the sun is setting on the colonial racial order.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us