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

Sitting Shiva in South Florida for Our souls/slivers of democracy …
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
27 Mar 2024
🖨️ Print Article
memorial candles

Mirrorless. Unshaven. Compressed spine from
Sitting shiva in South Florida for blind eyes.
For three monkey mouths and ears in throes of
Spiritual death

Sitting shiva in South Florida for
Shrieks of joy stolen by a desert aircraft carrier of F-16 reign.
Assassin of children. Bulldozer of dreams cadaver dogs tear
from bloody limbs of loved ones lost to a skunk water oasis.

Sitting shiva in South Florida for
Settler-colonial condos metastasizing on bleached
Bones of babies—on schoolchildren’s aerosolized
Blood; On tears pooling in pulverized concrete …

Sitting shiva in South Florida for
Lost souls and slivers of aspirational
Democracy: 1st, 4th and other Amendments—
Wrested from tyrants historical seconds ago …

Sitting shiva in South Florida
Last Days of Pompeo. Watching White Supreme Courtesans
Play black-robed rip off rituals. Watching southern senators be-
come maid men, circumcising themselves on the senate floor …

Sitting shiva in South Florida
Watching cruel grand dragon governors block rivers with
Orange buoys, saw blades, barbed wire, like they blocked
School house doors 60 years ago

Sitting shiva in South Florida
Sorting inquisitions from pogroms; Sand Creeks from
Wounded Knees—Tulsas from Rosewoods …. Sorting crunching
Glass sounds beneath Kristallnacht boots from January 6 boots …

Sitting shiva in South Florida
Watching Sunshine State book-banning/Texas Tali-banning of
Abortion. Watching cotton curtain violence of Magnolia State
Weaponization of water

Sitting shiva in South Florida
Watching elders struggle with high fructose corn syrup
$campaign/$election slogans— ‘Build Back Better’ bupkis–
Wehrmacht musings. War House flapping of flat tires on a clown car

Sitting shiva in South Florida
Could someone really be ranting about not feeling ‘safe’
Wearing Dallas Cowboy-sized Star of David sweatshirt
Around the Sunshine State?

© 2024. 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.

Palestine
Texas
abortion
Elections
Racism

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


Related Stories

x
Yarden Azoulay Katz
“Their Chaos is Our Peace”: Fighting Zionist Repression in Texas and Beyond
29 April 2026
Zionists continue their attacks on universities, exerting pressure to silence and terminate professors who express views in support of Palestin
John Parker
Socialist candidate John Parker: Abolish ICE and police, fund people’s needs
22 April 2026
Following is a recent campaign meeting talk by socialist congressional candidate John Parker.
Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
Donald Trump and the Truth About Robert Mueller
25 March 2026
Donald Trump is not lying about Robert Mueller.
Black Alliance For Peace
In Solidarity with the Prairieland Nine
25 March 2026
The Prairieland Nine convictions are an example of lawfare designed to criminalize political dissent and intimidate movements challenging the n
Boycott the world cup
Black Alliance For Peace
100 Days From the World Cup, an International Coalition is Calling on FIFA to Move the Games From the U.S.
11 March 2026
The US has disqualified itself from hosting the World Cup through wars, genocide, and domestic repression.
Anthony Karefa Rogers-Wright
Trump’s De Jure Racism Provides Convenient Cover for Liberals and Democrats to Mask Their De Facto Racism
11 February 2026
The political theater of condemning Trump's racism serves the function of diverting attention from the more dangerous, policy-based r
Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
Epstein Files Shows How the Elites Move
04 February 2026
The importance of the Epstein files cannot be underestimated.
Marwa Yousuf K.
Mamdani and The Liberal Repackaging of Power
12 November 2025
Zohran Mamdani's victory in the New York City mayor's race was significant, but liberalism succeeds by presenting a veneer of change where it m
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
School Shooting Du Jour. War Of The Week
17 September 2025
6 journalists slaughtered in a tent. SNOOZE. 11 Venezuelans —Blip on a screen — blown to smithereens with their boat. YAWN.
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
For a young labor leader leading by example
13 August 2025
“The future of labor is the future of America.”  

More Stories


  • Radikha Desai and Ajamu Baraka
    The State of Trump’s Union: Geopolitical Economy Hour with Ajamu Baraka
    24 Apr 2026
    In this Geopolitical Economy Hour, Radhika converses with one of the foremost left political leaders and Black political activist and journalist in the US, Ajamu Baraka. Together, they understand the…
  • BAR Radio Logo
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio April 24, 2026
    24 Apr 2026
    In this week’s segment, we discuss the importance of including African-descended people in discussions around climate change and a just transition from fossil fuel production. But we begin with a…
  • Carmella Charrington
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Deed Theft and the Loss of Black Property
    24 Apr 2026
    Evangeline of the People’s Coalition to Stop Deed Theft, a grassroots New York City organization, discusses efforts to stop deed theft and the need for legislation to protect homeowners. She also…
  • End colonialism
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    African Descendants and Just Transition in the Climate Crisis
    24 Apr 2026
    The first International Conference to Phase Out Fossil Fuels takes place in Santa Marta, Colombia, from April 24 to April 29. Anthony Rogers-Wright, a Black Agenda Report contributor, provides…
  • Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Trump Uses Immigration Enforcement to Make America Whiter Again
    22 Apr 2026
    The Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies are racist and are intended to send even documented Global South immigrants and naturalized citizens out of the country. The evidence is…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us