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.
The history of the death penalty in America is hewn from the hell of slavery, subjugation and the suffering of black people.
Beginning with the Slave tax, the US has overburdened Black communities with taxes for services that they often don’t get.
The academic laboratory of the Venezuelan coup is housed at Harvard. “Behind every US-backed war on a foreign people there will be a body of scholarly work.”
Black theologian Howard Thurman’s Pilgrimage of Friendship deeply influenced the worldview of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Blacks and Palestinians share a common struggle against colonialism; Venezuelan elections the most transparent in the world; the "hard work" of becoming a billionaire is exploitation.
