by Raymond Nat Turner
Tic-Tac-Toe, X versus O
Shrewd black buck dancer
O a cancer— X an answer
Malcolm X Tic-Tac-Toe in the Age of…Austerity?
by Raymond Nat Turner
Vertical, diagonal, horizontal moves
Of Malcolm X, martyr, giant, live on
Like simple grid, paper and pencil games
Of Noughts and Crosses, 3-in-a-row—
Tic-Tac-Toe in the age of… Austerity
X, like exciting, expanding, extending,
X, like exalting, exemplary, example,
Excelling, exceeding— revolutionary as
Exponential, unlimited—far as you dare!
O, as in hollow, phony, posture, nothing!
O as diversion, like COINTELPRO, Psy-
Op or false consciousness like blue-collar
Workers masquerading as middle-class!
3-in-a-row, X versus O
Tic-Tac-Toe, X versus O
Shrewd black buck dancer
O a cancer— X an answer!
Africom boots on the Congo
Banksters bagging big dough
Mother Africa their hoe
A peculiar quid pro quo
Slaves cheering status quo
Their beer full of GMO—
Madison Avenue mojo!
3-in-a-row, X versus O
Tic-Tac-Toe, X versus O
Shrewd black buck dancer
O a cancer— X an answer!
Negroz go pianissimo
Fiery X’s blocked by O,
Rich white house Negro,
Attorney Generalissimo
Super of Guantanamo
Teachers rise against O
Working-class Tic-Tac-Toe!
3-in-a-row, X versus O
Tic-Tac-Toe, X versus O
Shrewd black buck dancer
O a cancer— X an answer!
Raymond Nat Turner can be contacted at upsurgejazz.com.
Raymond Nat Turner © 2013 All Rights Reserved
While the U.S. justifies its new war on Venezuela as a counter-narcotics operation, the real target remains the Bolivarian Revolution and the alternative model of sovereignty it represents to the…
Imam Jamil Al-Amin was a revolutionary targeted by the state from the 1960s until he was unjustly convicted of murder in 2002. He died on November 23, 2025, an elder political prisoner who had been…
Glen Ford wrote many powerful essays, but his unflinching analysis of the history of the holiday we call Thanksgiving remains relevant over 20 years after it was published.
The official rationale for a new U.S. military operation against Venezuela is narcotics, but the true objective remains regime change. This escalating conflict demands a robust anti-imperialist…
El Jones presents the poem "Disturbing the Peace," written for the protest at the Halifax International Security Forum, November 22, 2025.
