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

 Slick Willy Rides Again!
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
28 Aug 2019
🖨️ Print Article
 Slick Willy Rides Again!
 Slick Willy Rides Again!

Don't know if it was the Bible
That said it, or if it was Confucius— 
Or, if I just made this shit up:
"Beware of the one riding in
Bareback, facing backwards on
An ol' mule, for he is an impostor!”
Lo and behold, The Great White
Foundation Father, Vice-
Roy of Haiti and Harlem, nurse-
Maid of NAFTA, demon of de-
Regulation, did it with class in
Tobacco country stables, Offal
Office of the DNC dog and pony show

Like Coltrane licks unrelenting from 
“Out Of This World," repeating in my 
Mind hermaneutics of suspicion swirling

Like steroid-driven dervishes...I NEVER
Trusted that M$%#-F@!*... that silvery-
Tongued, false-fingering saxophonist
From Arkansas—even if an ass-kissing
Arsenio showed the candidate A “Love
Supreme...”
I saw through that saran-wrapped
Charlatan who would imprison
Nixon-numbers of Black men and
Women; dismantle welfare with
Workfare from Reagan's wet dreams;
Bomb Bosnia; bless derivatives and
Deconstruction of Glass-Steagall,
During his “peacetime” presidency...

But, Negroz, who've become 
Fat and flabby from high fructose
Corn syrup years of sweetheart 
Dealing Black faces in high places—
Black faces aspiring for soft leather 
Chairs in corporate boardrooms and
Enough cash to stash in Cayman Island
Accounts, and their home freezers—
These Negroz screamed and shouted, 
"Slick Willy was masterful, he hit it
“Out of the park!"

Him was masterful, alright, him
Still a master after all, ain't him?

But in the fields, we keep our
Gazes fixed firmly on the Drinking
Gourd, the North Star, found just
Over picket signs, on picket lines...

© 2019. Raymond Nat Turner, The Town Crier. All Rights Reserved.

Our poet in residence Raymond Nat Turner is an acclaimed performing artist. Find much more of his work at http://upsurgejazz.com

COMMENTS?

Please join the conversation on Black Agenda Report's Facebook page at http://facebook.com/blackagendareport

Or, you can comment by emailing us at comments@blackagendareport.com

Neoliberalism

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


Related Stories

​​​​​​​ Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist
Neoliberalism to Trumpism: The Re-Normalization of White Supremacy as State Ideology
29 July 2026
The crisis of late-stage capitalism has stripped away the liberal disguise and revealed white supremacy as the official ideology of t
Wolfgang Bronner
Entertainment as Militarization: The Spectacle of the Super Bowl & WrestleMania in Nashville
06 May 2026
The spectacle of major sporting events does not simply distract from a city's crackdown on the working class.
Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
BAR Book Forum: Zophia Edwards’ Book, “Fueling Development”
01 April 2026
In this series, we ask acclaimed authors to answer five questions about their book.
Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor , Dan Kovalik
U.S. Takes Aim at President Gustavo Petro, but He's Akin to a Rock Star in Colombia
25 March 2026
Francisco Dominguez , Roger D. Harris , John Perry
Imperial Double Standards: Warfare for Venezuela and Welfare for Argentina
22 October 2025
The western response to crises in Venezuela and Argentina reveals a stark double standard.
Tamanisha John
The Historical and Contemporary Role of Neocolonial Caribbean Governments in Supporting US Militarism and Imperialism in the Region
10 September 2025
Turning the Caribbean into a US bombing range requires local collaborators.
Jon Jeter
From Cadillac-Driving Welfare Queens to Xbox-Playing Slackers, the Oligarchs Vilify Others for Their Own Larceny
09 July 2025
America’s ruling class keeps inventing new boogeymen to disguise its endless war on workers, while wealth flows upward and capitalism’s collaps
Clau O'Brien Moscoso
Dollarization in Ecuador: How the Safest Country in Latin America Became a Money Laundering Transnational Crime Hub
29 January 2025
Ecuador was once a safe country. However, U.S.
The Tricontinental
How Neoliberalism Has Wielded ‘Corruption’ to Privatise Life in Africa
04 December 2024
In Africa, the leading forces of capitalism have ruthlessly wielded a neoliberal conception of corruption to undermine states’ sovereignty and
​​​​​​​ Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist
For African/Black Working Class and Colonized Peoples, Midterm Elections in the U.S. Offer No Relief from War, Repression and Capitalist Misery
10 July 2024
This article was

More Stories


  • ESSAY: American Imperialism and the British West Indies, Claudia Jones, 1958
    Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    ESSAY: American Imperialism and the British West Indies, Claudia Jones, 1958
    12 Jul 2023
    Claudia Jones reminds us of the progressive potential of the failed West Indies Federation. But her analysis unwittingly anticipated the rise of its bourgeois descendant, CARICOM.
  • The UK-Rwanda Pact to Keep Migrants from Crossing the English Channel
    Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    The UK-Rwanda Pact to Keep Migrants from Crossing the English Channel
    12 Jul 2023
    The UK is spearheading a European drive to outsource migrants to Rwanda.
  • Homegoing for Harry…
    Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    Homegoing for Harry…
    12 Jul 2023
                                               “Every artist, every scientist, every writer
  • BAR Book Forum: Matthieu Chapman’s Book, “Shattered”
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Matthieu Chapman’s Book, “Shattered”
    12 Jul 2023
    This week’s featured author is Matthieu Chapman. Chapman is an Assistant Professor of Theatre Studies at the State University of New York at New Paltz and the Literary Director of NY Classical…
  • The History Of Affirmative Action Exposes Its Reactionary Weaknesses
    Jacqueline Luqman
    The History Of Affirmative Action Exposes Its Reactionary Weaknesses
    12 Jul 2023
    Affirmative action began as a reparations program but ends as a "diversity" project which barely benefits Black people.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us