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
  • omnibus

The Peoples’ Pips: Leaving on that Midnight Train to GA…
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
18 Aug 2021
The Peoples’ Pips: Leaving on that Midnight Train to GA…
The Peoples’ Pips: Leaving on that Midnight Train to GA…

BAR's poet in residence composes a lyrical and musical tribute to Glen Ford.

…He’s leaving 

(Leaving)

On that Midnight Train To Georgia 

(Leaving on the Midnight Train)

 

Earned a one way ticket back to soil

he blossomed beautifully from—lightly

bound, tightly wound contradictions:

Fair fella, yellowish ‘good hair’ hue/Blue-

black-black to the 37th power woke-ness;

Black-black, double black/Fire engine red 

internationalist aura and practice;

Smallish cat/Big, burnished baritone sound;

Panther prowl/Wehrmacht story pains presaging

plain pen to ordinary yellow legal-size pad—

Launching laser-surgical speeches and pieces…

His work/Their work/Our work/ All aboard

(on the Midnight Train…)

 

…He’s leaving 

(Leaving)

On that Midnight Train To Georgia 

(Leaving on the Midnight Train)

 

Traveling twisting tracks, traveling

long winding roads—blessed Odyssey—

esteemed elder to revered

Ancestor…

And Ancestors, we all know, are always 

waiting in the wings. Always just that

“Who?” “What?” “Why?” “Where?” “When?” 

question away…soothing our inflamed hearts—

Our deep fried minds… 

 

What would he/she say? When would they tell

heroes in embryo—The People—unvarnished 

Truth?

His work/Their work/Our work/ All aboard

(on the Midnight Train…)

 

© 2021. Raymond Nat Turner, The Town Crier. All Rights Reserved.

Raymond Nat Turner is an accomplished poet and performing artist, and an official of the National Writers Union. Find more of his work at http://upsurgejazz.com.

Glen Ford

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


Related Stories

Glen Ford's Journalism Fought for Black Liberation and Against Imperialism
Margaret Kimberley, BAR senior columnist
Glen Ford's Journalism Fought for Black Liberation and Against Imperialism
04 August 2021
Ford was among the few journalists who took a stance for Black liberation and against imperialism.
Nia Ford
Power to the people!
04 August 2021
Glen Ford’s daughter explains his lifelong commitment to Black people.
Mark P. Fancher
Were Glen Ford and T. Thomas Fortune the Same Brother?
04 August 2021
Glen Ford followed in the footsteps of another legendary Black journalist.

More Stories


  • Humanitarian Hawks Demand War on Ethiopia, National Guard Deploys to the Horn
    Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    Humanitarian Hawks Demand War on Ethiopia, National Guard Deploys to the Horn
    14 Dec 2021
    News of the deployment of National Guard troops to an unspecified location in the Horn of Africa is an indication that US interference in the region will continue.
  • The Gerry-Mander
    Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    Extinction
    14 Dec 2021
                                                                                                                         Extinction  
  • BAR Book Forum: William C. Anderson’s “The Nation on No Map”
    Roberto Sirvent
    BAR Book Forum: William C. Anderson’s “The Nation on No Map”
    14 Dec 2021
    In this series, we ask acclaimed authors to answer five questions about their book. This week’s featured author is William C. Anderson.
  • U.S. Corporate Media Watch: An Interview with Richard Medhurst
    Richard Medhurst and Roberto Sirvent
    U.S. Corporate Media Watch: An Interview with Richard Medhurst
    14 Dec 2021
    Richard and Roberto would like to dedicate this feature to Glen Ford, one of the fiercest critics of U.S. corporate media the country has ever known.
  • How the Left Can Get Ethiopia Right: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly with #NoMore
    Filmon Zerai
    How the Left Can Get Ethiopia Right: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly with #NoMore
    14 Dec 2021
    The best way for leftist anti-imperialists to support Ethiopia is to not take a hardline position on the internal politics of the country.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us