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

Hooked On Hopium
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
13 Jun 2012
🖨️ Print Article

 

by Raymond Nat Turner

There will be no replay of 2008’s greatest hits, but the reflux is debilitating in the extreme – for those who got hooked on Hopium.

 

Hooked On Hopium

by Raymond Nat Turner

*Look at the people –

I know you’re wonderin’ what they’re doin’

Crawlin’ ‘round the marble

Floors lookin’ for his

Feet, and the fire be-

Longing to Boeing,

And the other Big

Boys, Negroz have hit

Rock bottom, powerless

To admit they are

Addicts who will lie,

Steal, leave their babies

And homes in hands of

The Hope Man— even

Act as accessories

To murder— ever

Since that first hit, ’08.

 

*“Look at the people—

I know you’re wonderin’ what they’re doin’

They’re just standin’ there…

Caught up in the rap-

Ture of Hopium’s

Side effects:

Stupor, paralysis,

Heart palpitations,

Ringing ears, dry mouths,

Slurred speech, confused thinking,

Hallucinations,

Delusional, schizophrenic,

Suicidal behavior…

If symptoms persist,

Longer than 4 years,

Negroz must consult

Mental health professionals

Immediately and avoid

Operating heavy equipment,

Like tanks, helicopters,

Aircraft carriers,

Armored personnel

Carriers, or drones…

 

(*Based on Bobby Blue Bland’s Blues classic “I Pity The Fool”)

Raymond Nat Turner @ 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


  • Julia Kassem
    ‘Israel’: The Glue That Pieces Together the Maxwell-Epstein Saga
    18 Feb 2026
    Julia Kassem argues the Maxwell–Epstein saga is best understood through the lens of Israeli intelligence networks, tracing a continuity of espionage, blackmail, and media influence from Robert…
  • BAR Radio Logo
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio February 13, 2026
    13 Feb 2026
    In this week’s segment, we discuss conditions in Libya, the forces behind the assassination of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, and the struggle to regain sovereignty after the 2011 US/NATO destruction of that…
  • Dockworkers strike
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Chris Smalls on the Dock Worker Actions in Solidarity with Palestine
    13 Feb 2026
    Chris Smalls is the founder of the Amazon Labor Union, the first independent worker-led union in the US and the first to successfully organize an Amazon warehouse. He joins us from London to discuss…
  • Saif al-Islam Gaddafi
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    The Assassination of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and Conditions in Libya
    13 Feb 2026
    Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Libya's assassinated president Muhammad Gaddafi was himself assassinated on February 3, 2026. What does his death tell us about Libya today? We are joined by Essam…
  • Jemima Pierre on MAKC
    Jemima Pierre, BAR Editor and Contributor , Jared Ware
    What's Really Going on in Haiti Right Now? Featuring Jemima Pierre (& Lessons We Fail to Learn)
    11 Feb 2026
    Dr. Jemima Pierre, BAR Editor and Contributor, joins Millennials are Killing Capitalism for a conversation about US-led Imperialism's latest schemes for the people of Haiti. They discuss tactics…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us