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 schemesā¦
If ACE was the place,
Sole supplier of weapons
For waging āwar on terrorāā
On the cheapā
Shipper of mirrors and razors
To Warlords of Wall Street and
Washingtonāmirrors for finding
Terrorists unerringly, and razors
For doing the right thing: surgically
Taking out, sans collateral damage,
Reflections threatening our planetā¦
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 praiseā
Weapons launching tutors at Ayat,
4th grader from Yemen, instead of
Hellfire Missiles from drones
If ACE was the placeā¦
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 placeā¦
If ACE was the place,
Then, maybe, we could assemble
Angelica Perez Weapon Systems for
Plotting strategies for increasing
Jonahās reading fluency, and
Recognizing the twins, Brooke and
Jasmin, without retina scans?
If ACE was the placeā¦
If ACE was the place,
Then, maybe, we could forge
Juan Zuniga Weapons Systems for
Listening in on conversations in
Angelās belly, and providing food
With no oil, or strings attachedā¦
If ACE was the placeā¦
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 placeā¦
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 Elijahā
Like teachers Clementina, Chris, Rita, and Sian?
If ACE was the placeā¦
If ACE was the place,
Then, maybe, we could construct
Lorna Cross Weapons Systems for
Coordinating Joint Operations with Hendersonās
4th division in invading San Francisco by BART,
Or Yellow busses, and occupying Mission Dolores
More often?
If ACE was the placeā¦
If ACE was the place,
Then, maybe, we could assemble
Yusef Auletta Weapons Systems for
Graduating, rather than assassinating,
Ayatās sister, the 5th grader, Mandal
If ACE was the placeā¦
Then, maybe, we could develop
Cheryl Wilson Weapons Systems for
Marshalling ever more extraordinary
Renditions, like Aguas, Argueta and
Aulletaā a few good Aāsā
If ACE was the placeā¦
Raymond Nat Turner Ā© 2012 All Rights Reserved
A recurring social media trope casts Rwandan President Paul Kagame as a defiant African hero, like Burkina Fasoās Ibrahim TraorĆ©, resisting the Westās dictates, but nothing could be further from theā¦
Muriel Bowser is proving that Black faces in high places donāt break systems, they grease them. While slashing wages for tipped workers and handing billionaires stadium deals, D.C.ās mayor is theā¦
The Democratic Party would rather silence critics like Hogg than fix its own rot. Their reliance on Black Misleaders to do the dirty work exposes once again that the Democrats care more about powerā¦
Malcolm X didnāt just fight for Black liberationāhe waged war on empire itself. As U.S. militarism tightens its grip on Africa and beyond, his revolutionary internationalism burns brighter than everā¦
"A few lines for the Poet Ojenke..." is the latest from BAR's Poet-in-Residence.
