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


  • A Concentration Camp By Any Other Name…
    Black Agenda Radio with Nellie Bailey and Glen Ford
    A Concentration Camp By Any Other Name…
    06 Aug 2019
    In the wake of attacks on Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for describing immigrant detention centers as “concentration camps,” author Zoe Samudzi asked, “Why are Jewish orga
  • Black Alliance for Peace Pushes Candidate Pledge
    Black Agenda Radio with Nellie Bailey and Glen Ford
    Black Alliance for Peace Pushes Candidate Pledge
    06 Aug 2019
    The Black Alliance for Peace “is requiring that politicians, both incumbents and new candidates, take clear positions on the issues of war, repression and militarism,” said BAP lead organizer 
  • Newark, Other Cities Remember Michael Brown
    Black Agenda Radio with Nellie Bailey and Glen Ford
    Newark, Other Cities Remember Michael Brown
    06 Aug 2019
    Communities across the nation will mark the August 9, 2014 police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, an outrage that spawned nationwide protests under the umbrella of the Black Lives M
  • Reparations Rising – With Permission from White Democrats
    Glen Ford , BAR executive editor
    Reparations Rising – With Permission from White Democrats
    01 Aug 2019
    Black people’s support for reparations has soared in sync with the concept’s receptivity among white Democrats and establishment Black politicians.
  • Freedom Rider: Trump and Baltimore 
    Margaret Kimberley , BAR editor and senior columnist
    Freedom Rider: Trump and Baltimore 
    31 Jul 2019
    Anyone feeling the need to defend Baltimore from Trump’s opinions ought to talk about what really ails that city.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us