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

Vietnam
Kemet Mawakana
26 Mar 2008
🖨️ Print Article

7_foot_poet_upright_250wideKemet Mawakana (aka “The Seven-Foot Poet”) is a highly acclaimed spoken-word artist, and has published two books A . . . Z . . . Infinity and Crucifixion of My Soul. The collective body of his works presented weekly in BAR are in tribute to Listervelt Middleton, Dr. John Henrik Clarke, and “For The People”. Currently, he is a facilitator at AYA Educational Institute (www.ayaed.com) and can be reached at sevenfootpoet(at)gmail.com.

To read or listen to "Vietnam", please click on the link below. 

 

Vietnam

To listen to the audio of "Vietnam< click the flash player below

Click the flash player below to listen to or the mic to download an mp3 copy of this BA Radio commentary.

At a young and impressionable age

sealed was his fate.

Taught the enemy was an animal

sub-human

now he’s brainwashed

so that he can start boomin’:

 

“Boom boom boom yeah I was gunnin’

And then you look and all you see is . . . .”

 

The enemy’s tiny foothold from within

would not submit or bend;

thus and so the war begins.

 

“Homies all standin around just hangin
Some dope-dealin some gang-bangin
We decide to roll and we deep . . .”

 

The American went on a mission called search and destroy

killing men

raping women and girls

and crippling boys.

Napalm strikes by air support

reinforced thoughts

that the enemy was either a criminal

or should be shot for sport.

 

Because of the undeniable conflict

between his training

and the independent conclusions

reached by his maturing brain

the American turned to narcotics

to put his mind at ease.

 

“Since I was a youth, I smoked weed out . . .”

 

But the war won’t end

it can never end for him

until he looks in the mirror and sees

-- he’s Vietnamese.

 

By Kemit Mawakana (aka The Seven-Foot Poet)

Peace (when appropriate) War (when necessary)

Copyright 2008.

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


More Stories


  • Alander Rocha
    Inmates Challenge Motion to Dismiss in Alabama Forced Labor Federal Lawsuit
    12 Jun 2024
    The lawsuit against Alabama state officials, agencies, local governments, and private companies for their involvement in the prison labor program continues. Prisoners now must fight a wave of motions…
  • Black Agenda Radio
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio June 7, 2024
    07 Jun 2024
    This week, we learn about how Black and Latinx communities in Buffalo have been targeted by a Black mayor and the police to raise city revenue. But first, a discussion about the recent South…
  • South Africa election results
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    South African Communist Party Navigates Coalition Building in the Wake of National Elections
    07 Jun 2024
    Lefika Chetty joins us to discuss the recent elections in South Africa, and the state of politics in the country.
  • Buffalo police department traffic stop
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Buffalo's Black Mayor Targets Communities of Color to Raise Revenue
    07 Jun 2024
    We're joined by Dorethea Franklin and Anjana Malhotra to discuss a lawsuit against the City of Buffalo challenging unconstitutional and racially discriminatory traffic enforcement practices by the…
  • Trump
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Trump Derangement and the Phony Rule of Law
    05 Jun 2024
    Donald Trump is often portrayed as the worst president of all time and now his criminal conviction has made him the butt of many jokes. But his legal troubles may not prevent him from winning again.…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us