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

State of the Union—or state of Capitalist decay?
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
12 Mar 2025
🖨️ Print Article
Donald Trump State of the Union
Photo: ABC News

“Every man for himself
and the devil take the hindmost.”

Something’s soothing, lobotomizing, about the snotty
Voice flooding from Fox-boxes. Something’s
Lobotomizing about an ignorant comedian coming to
Kill—but bombing—yet, still killing …

Something’s soothing about Jumping Jack Fascists—
Springing up at every absurd utterance and
Thunder of rattling rubbish. Their hand bones
Fracturing from clapping so damn loud—so long …

Something’s soothing about Jumping Jack Fascists
Springing up like they got the Holy Ghost! Fits of
Ecstasy applauding poor people used as props—
Mascots—human shields for class war’s unpopular policies

Something’s soothing about Jumping Jack Fascists
Springing up, sane-washing a lipsticked pig. And face-
Lifting lies about capitalism’s impossible promises to
The People …

Forked tongue tour de force— False from beginning to
End. 1hour, 40 minute Mussolini masterpiece. Il DOGE
Smashed Dr. Goebbels’ Guinness Book of Records for
Orwellian wizardry: misinformation/disinformation/1/2 truths/big lies.

Barren make believe desert. Echo chamber of hollow mockery—
Hypocrisy, humbuggery/thuggery, treachery, treason, truth-less-
Ness and alternative facts where up is down. Bad’s good. Worse
Is better. Woke's worrisome/and straw’s spun orange into fools gold …

Leaning in, listening to bosh-laden blizzards of fabrications—
Falsifications— bleached bone white lies—but not eating the
Dogma does cause trauma. Trauma of two car crashes;
Three boxing matches; And four NFL and hockey games …

Blitzkrieg! Warp speed war on the working-class—
Moving fast! Breaking things! Things shoe leather, steel spines,
Blood and grit won working people long, long ago.
Things we long to make more muscular, more robust. And for all …

© 2025. 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.

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


More Stories


  • Billionaire-Owned Corporations Fail Workers During Covid Crisis
    by Institute for Policy Studies
    Billionaire-Owned Corporations Fail Workers During Covid Crisis
    25 Nov 2020
    A “Delinquent Dozen” companies have vastly increased fortunes for their owners and CEOs but provided inadequate protection for their workers.
  •  GOP Tried to Re-Imprison Jalil Muntaqim
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley and Glen Ford
    GOP Tried to Re-Imprison Jalil Muntaqim
    24 Nov 2020
    After 49 years as a Black Panther Party political prisoner, Jalil Muntaqim was released on parole, only to be rearrested for attempting to register to vote in his hometown of Rochester, New York.
  •  Colin Kaepernick: “Free Mumia”
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley and Glen Ford
    Colin Kaepernick: “Free Mumia”
    24 Nov 2020
    Abu Jamal “has had to endure this second-by-second assault on his soul for 38 years,” said banned football quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
  •  Community Control of Police = Autonomous Zone of People Power
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley and Glen Ford
    Community Control of Police = Autonomous Zone of People Power
    24 Nov 2020
    Pan-African Community Action organizer Netfa Freeman told a panel organized by Black psychology students at Bowie State University, in Maryland: “Community control of police is a w
  •  Reject “Thanks-Taking,” Join in National Day of Mourning
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley and Glen Ford
    Reject “Thanks-Taking,” Join in National Day of Mourning
    24 Nov 2020
    “Instead of celebrating genocide, the National Day of Mourning was created to destroy the Pilgrim mythology” that led to “not a nation of immigrants, but of colonizers,” said Nick Estes
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us