by BAR poet-in-residence Raymond Nat Turner
The wakeful sleep of the 1% is
Haunted by long shadows of
Conscious soldiers, progeny
Of militant mass movements —
Disposable Killing Machines R US
by BAR poet-in-residence Raymond Nat Turner
12, 23, 32, 300, 3,000;
Long gun, handgun, back
Pack, Ryder rental truck;
Shopping mall, movie-theater,
Naval facility, army base—
A thousand to choose from—
D.C., VA, CT, CO, CA, Texas;
Aaron, Adam, James, Timothy,
Nidal, disposable killing machines…
Nightmares looped over
Murder manuals memorized,
Looped over recorded command voices,
Looped over clanging pots and pans
Piped through vents, driving
Pharma’s sleep deprivation
Psychotropic drug playthings mad!
Disposable killing machines
Sometime short-circuit, suffer
Insomnia, anxiety, depression
Hurting themselves with
Programming for hurting
“Bug splat,” “sand nigger” others
The wakeful sleep of the 1% is
Haunted by long shadows of
Conscious soldiers, progeny
Of militant mass movements —
Avatars of Aaron Alexis,
Christopher Dorner, Timothy
McVey and other disposable
Killing machines, morphing
Into Marilyn Buck, Geronimo
Ji-Jaga, John Brown action-
Figures, armed with semi-
Automatic Marxist analysis,
Weapon of mass instruction,
Trained to “drain the swamp”
Of its sulfur stench and war
Criminal curriculum, gassing minds…
Raymond Nat Turner can be contacted at upsurgejazz.com.
Raymond Nat Turner © 2013 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.
