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

Is cruelty Governor Woke Smoke’s superpower?
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
21 Jun 2023
🖨️ Print Article
Is cruelty Governor Woke Smoke’s superpower?
Photo collage Rachel Handley

                                                                                              Is cruelty Governor Woke Smoke’s superpower?

 

Hey, amigo, this ain’t Gitmo… We won’t waterboard you.

We won’t force feed you—Hop on this shiny white bus to

a better life! Catch this sleek private plane to food, clothing

and shelter! Hey, señora, one plush seat’s left for you and yours!

We swear this ain’t Sunshine State slapstick! We swear

it ain’t Lone Star State Abbot and Costello—comedy of

Cruelty! …Why… we’d never score $election points with

Corporate paymasters…by using you as $campaign props…

Why, we’d never ever move men, women, children across

this confederate chessboard like bipartisan pawns—Swear we

Wouldn’t! We’re not the same bloodthirsty Europeans who gun-

smoked plains, prairies, and wetlands, creating crimson clouds.

Hey, amigo, this ain’t Gitmo… We won’t waterboard you.

We won’t force feed you—Hop on this shiny white bus to

a better life! Catch this sleek private plane to food, clothing

and shelter! Hey, señora, one plush seat’s left for you and yours!

We swear this ain’t Sunshine State slapstick! We swear

it ain’t Lone Star State Abbot and Costello—comedy of

Cruelty! We’re not the ones who blood-soaked this soil—

leaving Indigenous ones with stand stolen ground nightmares…

Why, we wouldn’t lie—just ask the Seminoles! We’ve changed.

We’re simply not the same predatory Europeans exploring Africa,

Promising, “Jobs! Jobs! Longterm Employment Opportunities!”

Trust us, “Voluntary Relocation” can live “Where woke goes to die.”

Trust us… We’ re… “like a good neighbor.” Like Allstate following

fires in California—or floods in Florida…We’d never use pandemic

Recovery Funds (earmarked for relief ) to ship you people to woke

‘Sanctuary Cities!’ Oh—no—Never!

Hey, amigo, this ain’t Gitmo… We won’t waterboard you.

We won’t force feed you. This is a melting pot! You and your family

just jump right in! Trust us… we aren’t the AI-driven, rightwing, robotic,

Brooks Brothers’ suited barbarians your growling gut’s saying we are…



© 2023. Raymond Nat Turner, The Town Crier. All Rights Reserved.



Raymond Nat Turner is a NYC poet; BAR's Poet-in-Residence; and founder/co-leader of the jazz-poetry ensemble UpSurge!NYC. You can Vote for his work at: GoFundMe and PayPal.

Ron DeSantis
Guantanamo
Immigrant Rights

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


More Stories


  • African and Indigenous Peoples: An Alliance for Defense, Survival and Revolution
    Mark P. Fancher
    African and Indigenous Peoples: An Alliance for Defense, Survival and Revolution
    23 Nov 2022
    The day known as Thanksgiving is an opportunity to remember how the settler colonial state began its genocide against both indigenous people and enslaved Africans. 
  • The End of American Thanksgivings: A Cause for Universal Rejoicing
    Glen Ford , BAR executive editor
    The End of American Thanksgivings: A Cause for Universal Rejoicing
    23 Nov 2022
    Glen Ford wrote many powerful essays, but his unflinching analysis of the history of the holiday we call Thanksgiving endures nearly 20 years after he wrote it.
  • “No More American Thanksgivings” and Other Essays Book Review: Glen Ford, 2022, The Black Agenda, OR Books
    Roger D. Harris
    “No More American Thanksgivings” and Other Essays Book Review: Glen Ford, 2022, The Black Agenda, OR Books
    23 Nov 2022
    Glen Ford's posthumously published book, The Black Agenda, is a testament to the enduring power of his work. 
  • Ujima’s Plan to Transcend Neoliberalism in Maryland
    Phillip Clark
    Ujima’s Plan to Transcend Neoliberalism in Maryland
    23 Nov 2022
    The Ujima People's Progress Party is organizing outside of the duopoly in an effort to gain true political representation for Black working people. 
  • Widespread Panic as Anti-Haitian Decree Goes into Effect in Dominican Republic
    Carlos Edill Berríos Polanco
    Widespread Panic as Anti-Haitian Decree Goes into Effect in Dominican Republic
    23 Nov 2022
    In the Dominican Republic, Haitian migrants or any dark-skinned Black person can be arrested, have their belongings seized, and be deported from that country. Anti-Haitian sentiment and legislation…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us