by BAR Poet-in-Residence Raymond Nat Turner
“In what stilettos will they Electric Slide
On thin ice, above fiscal cliffs of foreclosure,
Joblessness and poverty?”
CORONATION
by BAR Poet-in-Residence Raymond Nat Turner
2006
Mayday, a million militant Mexicans
Strapped on wings and flew
Over the City of Angels, scaring
To death, rich devils ruining it;
2010
A December Night In Tunisia,
Burst into Be-Bop regime change
Flames, masses heard and jammed
To in Egypt, North Africa, the world over...
2011
A quarter million militant
Wisconsinites caught Spring
Fever flowing from North Africa,
Experienced seizures of capitol, town,
Imaginations, conversations—even
General strike plans—forward…
2011
Mindful gangs of youth occupied
Wall Street, hearts, minds, dreams and
Talk of the town for two months, metastasizing
Like crazy cancer cells, clear across the country…
2012
Ephemeral, proletarian internationalist moment,
Tens of millions of anti-austerity activists, workers,
Students and supporters, downed tools, seized
Streets and shut down Europe for a day...
These tiny tremors continually reminding US,
That like scorching magma, class struggle
Bubbles, just beneath business as usual...
2013
A million miles from reality...Cloud Nine Negroz
See what they wanna see in 1600 Pennsylvania
Avenue, Psychedelic Shack where big Negroz go
Under COINTELPRO; a Psy-Op where lil' Negroz
Have their fortunes told, and chase after fool's gold:
Solidarity with a Wall Street-vetted, Madison Avenue
Messiah, bequeathed by J. Edgar after Medgar,
Malcolm and Martin were shot for inconvenient truths
Nothin' but a Democratic party in Cloud Nine Negroz
Psychedelic Shack, belting, "Don't Worry, Be Happy!"
"Extraordinary Rendition's" 'bout when Motown dropped
"Grapevine" on Gladys & Marvin # 1, the same year, & “Black
Sites" are spots where you can go and get your groove on..
In Cloud Nine Negroz Psychedelic Shack, their mountain top,
Disco ball and all, debate orbits around burning questions of
Sub-contracts, franchises and what dare they wear to their king's
CORONATION:
In what furs, with what flag sizes, or
Lapel pins, will they be seen, on TV?
In what clown suits and silly hats
Will they Happy Dance for Hell-
Fire Missiles on family farmers?
In what stilettos will they Electric Slide
On thin ice, above fiscal cliffs of foreclosure,
Joblessness and poverty?
What will they wear for their Fuhrer?
Will they mimic his corporate coat
Of many logos, his crown of five
Hundred jewels for Fortune 500
Companies—same thugs peddling guns,
Wars and gang-raping Mother Africa?
Will they come wearing coltan
For their king, or just show up
Looking like lewd lieutenants,
Lap-dancing, licking his boots,
Complicit in his bombing and
Burning babies in Afghanistan,
Pakistan, Yemen,Libya and Gaza?
Will they come dressed as jackals, with
Tuesday kill lists of "haters" in hand?
Maybe they'll dress down in vintage
War crimes and crimes against humanity,
Like deputies in the dock at Nuremberg?
Surely they'll accessorize in South
African gold, diamonds and platinum
Set luxuriously in Steven Biko's bones?
Perhaps they'll anoint themselves and
Their king in Ogoniland oil, expertly
Blended with blood of Ken Saro-Wiwa?
Should their Messiah suggest suicide
Vests, bet on a bunch of busy tailors...
Nude, or prancing like peacocks, fully
Festooned, they'll arrive in five, feting
Their emperor, making a mockery of
Militant tradition birthing Ben Davis,
Du Bois, Ida B., Hubert Harrison and
Fanny Lou Hamer in the crucible of
Class struggle…
Raymond Nat Turner can be contacted at Raymond (at) upsurgejazz.com.
Raymond Nat Turner (c) 2012 All Rights Reserved
In this eulogy for dub poet Michael “Mikey” Smith, Amiri Baraka asserts the need for Black and Third World mass organization against the ravages of neo-colonialism, imperialism, racism, and…
The United States still has the dubious distinction of having more people behind bars than any other country. The population of local jails continue to rise and is a bellwether for mass incarceration…
The Black political class is not made up solely of politicians. Celebrities and athletes like LeBron James are given access to corporate dollars and their politics reflect their class interests.
Cory Booker has been a favorite of right-wing interest groups ever since he first ran for office to become mayor of Newark 20 years ago.
The people of Gaza are completely at the mercy of Israel, without help from the outside world.
