by Raymond Nat Turner
If those who rule really wanted kids to be Aces in life, they wouldn't rig the decks.
If ACE Was The Place
Bake sales and raffles are
Fun, yet twisted inversions,
If five-sided operations
Are four part pyramid schemes…
If ACE was the place,
Sole supplier of weapons
For waging “war on terror—”
On the cheap—
Shipper of mirrors and razors
To Warlords of Wall Street and
Washington—mirrors for finding
Terrorists unerringly, and razors
For doing the right thing: surgically
Taking out, sans collateral damage,
Reflections threatening our planet…
If ACE was the place,
Then, maybe, we could develop
Cheryl Wilson Weapons Systems for
Wrapping arms securely around
Children entering the schoolyard,
And spraying them with friendly
Fire, with report resembling praise—
Weapons launching tutors at Ayat,
4th grader from Yemen, instead of
Hellfire Missiles from drones
If ACE was the place…
If ACE was the place,
Then, maybe, we could construct
Jeanette Gearring Weapons Systems for
Spying on students making super choices,
Doing good deeds during the day, and
Automatically charging them with being
Caught In The Act?
If ACE was the place…
If ACE was the place,
Then, maybe, we could assemble
Angelica Perez Weapon Systems for
Plotting strategies for increasing
Jonah’s reading fluency, and
Recognizing the twins, Brooke and
Jasmin, without retina scans?
If ACE was the place…
If ACE was the place,
Then, maybe, we could forge
Juan Zuniga Weapons Systems for
Listening in on conversations in
Angel’s belly, and providing food
With no oil, or strings attached…
If ACE was the place…
If ACE was the place,
Then, maybe, we could manufacture
More weapons of mass instruction
For Farmer Ben and Chef Kathy
For the war on Colonel Sanders,
Popeye, Jack, and Ronald McDonald?
If ACE was the place…
If ACE was the place,
Then, maybe, we could produce the next
Generation of Julie Venuto Weapons for
Launching IEPs, RTIs and other artillery
Supporting Special Forces, armed with
Love and commitment to Janvier, Danny,
Dalia, Sophia, Emeline, Michael and Elijah—
Like teachers Clementina, Chris, Rita, and Sian?
If ACE was the place…
If ACE was the place,
Then, maybe, we could construct
Lorna Cross Weapons Systems for
Coordinating Joint Operations with Henderson’s
4th division in invading San Francisco by BART,
Or Yellow busses, and occupying Mission Dolores
More often?
If ACE was the place…
If ACE was the place,
Then, maybe, we could assemble
Yusef Auletta Weapons Systems for
Graduating, rather than assassinating,
Ayat’s sister, the 5th grader, Mandal
If ACE was the place…
Then, maybe, we could develop
Cheryl Wilson Weapons Systems for
Marshalling ever more extraordinary
Renditions, like Aguas, Argueta and
Aulleta— a few good A’s—
If ACE was the place…
Raymond Nat Turner © 2012 All Rights Reserved
Tennessee just erased its only majority-Black voting district. Anger is justified but the deeper question is what Black people can do to gain and hold on to real power.
Two car companies are being sued for continuing the southern tradition of exploiting incarcerated workers in Alabama and Georgia factories.
The Chadian troops arriving in Haiti are the visible arm of imperialist intervention in which the United States projects force without putting its own boots on the ground.
Two weeks before, the armed forces had fought off the highly coordinated attacks on six cities by about 12,000 jihadist and separatist fighters on April 25.
The Ruto regime claims a Pan-African mandate when it sends police to Haiti, but it attacks and arrests Pan-African delegates when they gather in Nairobi.
