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

…In his head
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
10 Mar 2014
🖨️ Print Article

by Raymond Nat Turner

Dr. King’s Dream come true,

In his head! Black folks way better

Off, in his head, Rev. Wright was

Wrong, in his head!

 

…In his head

by Raymond Nat Turner

 

Headin’ downtown on the D train

The other day I overheard oration—

By a fella, to a fella, from a fella 51/50

“Mexicans takin’ our jobs; they hate

Our freedoms— but blurred lines,

Beyonce’s booty, NAACP Image

Awards, Robin Thicke & recovery

Jus’ roun’ the corner; smart phone,

Dr. Dre headphones lift me outta

Poverty; smart bombs protect my

Freedoms; I got 2,000 Facebook

Friends, a poke away, who gimme

My kidney & bone marrow transplant!”

 

Booming baritone thundering in

Harmony with the train, he continued

His melodious, rhythmic catechism,

“Since ’08 things been Great,” in his

Head, Dr. King’s Dream come true,

In his head! Black folks way better

Off, in his head, Rev. Wright was

Wrong, in his head! “Yes, we can,”

In his head, mo’ Black folks have

Homes since World War II, in his

Head! Mo’ Black wealth than ever

Before, in his head; fewer Black folk

Dyin’ fo’ they 70th, in his head; mo’

Black men goin’ to college than jail,

In his head, liars figure but figures

Don’t lie, in his head, in his head,

“Change we can believe in,” in his

Head, police stopped shootin’ us

Since that beer, in his head; we

Cool, long as Big Brother brown, in

His head! Oratory swelling like a

Dark cumulus cloud, lookin’ me

Dead in the eye, “This election the

Mos’ important election ever…”

 

“The rich say that every time,” I snapped.

He leapt up like a man possessed, banshee-

Rebel- wailing, “What, you ain’t votin’?

Nigger, get away from me, you is cra-aaa-zy!”

 

Raymond Nat Turner can be contacted at upsurgejazz.com

 

Raymond Nat Turner © 2014 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


  • Black Agenda Report’s 13th Anniversary: An Evening of Information and Inspiration for Liberation, and a Tribute to Co-Founder Bruce Dixon
    The BAR Team
    Black Agenda Report’s 13th Anniversary: An Evening of Information and Inspiration for Liberation, and a Tribute to Co-Founder Bruce Dixon
    11 Sep 2019
    Every year presents new challenges to those struggling for human liberation.
  • Devil got a Donor
    Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    Devil got a Donor
    11 Sep 2019
    The Devil got a donor—a real high roller! The Devil’s donor base blew up  like it caught the mumps from this true believer in big Capital projects:
  • Which Way Out of Neoliberalism: Fascism or Socialism? 
    Danny Haiphong , BAR contributor
    Which Way Out of Neoliberalism: Fascism or Socialism? 
    11 Sep 2019
    Without self-determination, socialism becomes an economistic demand that fails to account for imperial rule.
  • 3rd International Trade Union Forum: Comments from Ajamu Baraka
    Ajamu Baraka , BAR editor and columnist
    3rd International Trade Union Forum: Comments from Ajamu Baraka
    11 Sep 2019
    There can be no workers’ rights without peace and social justice. “War and militarism are class issues.”
  • They Survived Solitary Confinement. Now They’re Fighting to End It.
    Victoria Law
    They Survived Solitary Confinement. Now They’re Fighting to End It.
    11 Sep 2019
    On any given day, 80,000 people are locked in solitary confinement in US prisons and jails.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us