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


  • The heart of Asmara and other Eritrean towns are their centrally located grain, vegetable, and fruit markets. Establishing national food security is the primary national development goal.
    Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    Notes from Eritrea, Part II
    11 May 2022
    Contributing Editor Ann Garrison continues her reporting from the Horn of Africa.
  • Bye, Big Sis
    Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    Bye, Big Sis
    11 May 2022
    Memories of the late Gael Davis, Los Angeles activist, organizer and actress.
  • Joe Biden and the Democrats Have Nothing to Offer Organized Labor, the ALU Included
    Danny Haiphong, BAR Contributing Editor
    Joe Biden and the Democrats Have Nothing to Offer Organized Labor, the ALU Included
    11 May 2022
    The Biden administration pays lip service to the trade union movement but has done nothing to break the Democratic Party’s long tradition of betraying workers. Joe Biden's photo op with Christian…
  • BAR Book Forum: Gao Yunxiang’s “Arise Africa! Roar China!”
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Gao Yunxiang’s “Arise Africa! Roar China!”
    11 May 2022
    This week’s featured author is Gao Yunxiang. Gao Yunxiang is Professor of History at Ryerson University. Her book is Arise, Africa! Roar, China!: Black and Chinese Citizens of the World in the…
  • To Honor Odessa Anti-Fascists, Stop Weapons to Ukraine!
    John Parker
    To Honor Odessa Anti-Fascists, Stop Weapons to Ukraine!
    11 May 2022
    Statement by John Parker, Socialist Unity Party candidate for U.S. Senate in California on the Peace and Freedom Party ticket. Parker is on a fact-finding trip observing the U.S./NATO proxy…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us