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


  • East New York Community Land Trust Reports on NYPD Use of Vacant Land
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    East New York Community Land Trust Reports on NYPD Use of Vacant Land
    27 May 2022
    Boris Santos is Treasurer of the East New York Community Land Trust Board of Directors, and Debra Ayck is the Board’s Secretary. The Land Trust held a press conference on May 21st at which they…
  • John Parker's Fact-finding Trip to Russia and Ukraine
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    John Parker's Fact-finding Trip to Russia and Ukraine
    27 May 2022
    John Parker is a member of the Socialist Unity party and a senatorial candidate on the Peace and Freedom party ticket in California. He just returned from a fact-finding trip to Russia and Ukraine.…
  • Greenville, North Carolina Organizer Explains Significance of African Liberation Day
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Greenville, North Carolina Organizer Explains Significance of African Liberation Day
    27 May 2022
    Mapinduzi is a Greenville, North Carolina community organization dedicated to advancing political education. Mapinduzi is planning African Liberation Day events on Saturday, May 28. We spoke…
  • African Liberation Day Special Issue
    The Editors
    African Liberation Day Special Issue
    25 May 2022
    The Black Agenda Report team gives special emphasis to African Liberation Day, which is celebrated on May 25.
  • Capitalism and Baby Formula
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Capitalism and Baby Formula
    25 May 2022
    The baby formula shortage is not a glitch in the system. It actually exemplifies everything that goes wrong when the profit motive rules. Capitalism can't ensure a food supply or anything else…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us