Ralph Poynter speaking at a rally for political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal.
When I Grow Up…
When I grow up I
wanna be bear hugs
and hundred watt smiles
for family, comrades and friends—
Easy to figure
out: Come correct—
Or, not at all
When I grow up I
wanna be like the
Keystone State son of
a steel worker,
in major—music theory—
Teaching poly-rhythmic
Resistance and asking:
“How do you keep the music playing,
How do you make it last???”
When I grow up I
wanna be like the
Quaker State son of
a steel worker,
in major—allowing
Resistance and the
Organizer in
his DNA to
Lead the way, saying
Names of Political
Prisoners, Prisoners of War…
When I grow up I
wanna be like the
Warrior jousting
windmills in front of the
War House. Picketing
for the Love of his
Life—rain, sleet, snow—
Or sauna. Showing,
Not telling, the rulers,
“Let my Peoples’ Lawyer go!”
Ain’t that lovin’ you, baby?
When I grow up I
wanna be like the cat
not above crashing
in airports, to
Visit his Valentine
shackled to the 17th century—
Deep in the heart of
a Texas torture chamber
When I grow up I
wanna be a spirit
singing,“Lonely teardrops,
My pillow’s never dry…
Lonely teardrops, come
Ho-oh-oh-oh-Om…”
When I grow up I
wanna be like the knight
in whose eyes glint
Her name writ red in flames…
Poet’s note: Inspired by the life of Ralph Poynter …
© 2017. 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: GoFundMeand PayPal.
Despite the well-known political instability of the Fifth Republic, caused by the results of the recent legislative elections, the continuity of Paris' military-political path in Africa seems…
Four consecutive US governments have incrementally expanded their reliance on using the US dollar as a weapon of war, forcing nations across the world to create alternative financial systems and…
This week, we talk to a veteran fighter in the liberation movement about his work nationally and internationally. But first, we discuss Joe Biden standing down from his re-election campaign and the…
Dr. Anthony Monteiro joins us to discuss the 2024 presidential election in the wake of Joe Biden’s announcement that he is standing down from his re-election campaign and endorsing Vice President…
Mukasa Dada talks to us about his liberation movement work and his recent participation in a delegation traveling to Nicaragua.
