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


  • Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    SERMON: The “Pet Negro” System, Zora Neale Hurston, 1943
    19 Jun 2024
    Zora Neale Hurston’s sermon on the “Pet Negro” system provides devastating and timely insight into the psychology of Black folk working in the service of white power. Preach, Sister Zora!
  • Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    The Case for Palestine
    19 Jun 2024
    Dan Kovalik’s new book makes a case for Palestine.
  • Jacqueline Luqman
    Defeat The Fascist War On African People In The US And Abroad!
    19 Jun 2024
    The struggle to defeat the war on African people can be understood through an analysis of the ongoing relationship between African people and the state.
  • Communist Party of Kenya
    Unmasking Ruto’s Betrayal and Mobilizing for Kenya’s Sovereignty and Justice
    19 Jun 2024
    Kenyan President William Ruto, despite his posturing as a strong leader for the people, has betrayed the masses time and time again. His neoliberal policies and allegiance to the imerperialist west…
  • Janvieve Williams Comrie , Mauri Balanta Jaramillo
    The Intersection of Vulnerability and Power: The Case of Francia Márquez
    19 Jun 2024
    Francia Marquez's rise to Colombia's vice presidency has put a target on her back, but she also brings with her hope for a real change in Colombian politics. As in the U.S., Black political…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us