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 Venezuela Coup 20 Years Later
    Dan Beeton
    The Venezuela Coup 20 Years Later
    26 Apr 2022
    The legacy of Venezuela’s short-lived 2002 coup d’etat, and the subsequent countercoup, endures for US-Latin American relations.
  • Mississippi Workers' Center for Human Rights
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Mississippi Workers' Center for Human Rights
    22 Apr 2022
    Jaribu Hill is Director of the Mississippi Workers Center for Human Rights, which is hosting a workers memorial day webinar entitled “No one should have to die to make a living” on Saturday,…
  • The Spirit of Mandela Coalition
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    The Spirit of Mandela Coalition
    22 Apr 2022
    Jihad Abdulmumit is a coordinating committee member of the Spirit of Mandela Coalition , a campaign to bring international attention to U.S. violations of the human rights of black, brown, and…
  • Racism in Canadian Immigration
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Racism in Canadian Immigration
    22 Apr 2022
    El Jones is a poet and a professor at Mount St. Vincent university in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Canadian government, like the U.S., is giving special attention and privileges to Ukrainian…
  • Black Agenda Radio April 22, 2022
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio April 22, 2022
    22 Apr 2022
    Mississippi Workers' Center for Human Rights webinar, We Still Charge Genocide and racist Canadian immigration policies. 
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us