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

If ACE Was The Place
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
28 Feb 2012
šŸ–Øļø Print Article

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 ā€œwar on terrorā€”ā€

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 Ā© 2012 All Rights Reserved

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


More Stories


  • MANIFESTO: ā€œThe Crime of Being Born Black on American Soilā€: Claudia Jones’s Statement Before Being Sentenced, February 2, 1953
    Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    MANIFESTO: ā€œThe Crime of Being Born Black on American Soilā€: Claudia Jones’s Statement Before Being Sentenced, February 2, 1953
    03 Mar 2021
    Claudia Jones’s arrests and eventual deportation were part of the expansion of the US government’s Cold War attacks on immigrants—Black immigrants included—who were affiliated with the Communi
  • Against Big Tech's Algorithmic Cancel Culture
    Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    Against Big Tech's Algorithmic Cancel Culture
    03 Mar 2021
    Project Censored Host Mickey Huff predicted that #CancelCulture warriors would be calling stations to complain about his opposition to Big Tech censorship, writes Ann Garrison.
  • Long Live the Legacy of Lawrence Ferlinghetti!
    Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    Long Live the Legacy of Lawrence Ferlinghetti!
    03 Mar 2021
    Ferlinghetti might have been God ā€˜cause he almost lived forever; and Jersey Boys—Allen and Amiri— lyricized Coltrane’s ā€œWelcomeā€ and are singing it for him with rhythmic
  • Cornel West: Palestine Is a ā€œTaboo Issue Among Certain Circles in High Placesā€
    Azad Essa
    Cornel West: Palestine Is a ā€œTaboo Issue Among Certain Circles in High Placesā€
    03 Mar 2021
    West, considered one of America's foremost intellectuals, said he is confident that it is his criticism of Israel that cost him tenure at Harvard.
  • Letters from Our Readers
    Jahan Choudhry, BARĀ Comments Editor
    Letters from Our Readers
    03 Mar 2021
    This week the blackout in Texas, the recent film on Fred Hampton, and Democracy Now’s international coverage were on your minds.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us