Turn, turn, turn (For Pete)

by BAR poet-in-residence Raymond Nat Turner

“We say: killing is disorder, life and gentleness and community and unselfishness is the only order we recognize.”

—Daniel Berrigan, S.J.

I. False flag déjà vu?

If only FOIA

Zebras could speak,

Tap wet, cold, Wiki-

Leaks connecting

Shock doctrine dots, dis-

Inviting letters

Peering past

Graduation,

Legislation,

Assassination,

Into crystal ball funerals—

Would we see ALEC,

His Big Brother, 1%

Puppeteer strings and

Propaganda arms

Crimson as the floor

Of a meat packing

Plant, soiling fine silk?

3 lives 3 December acts?

Would 4 families, feel,

Sleep, any better?

II. Mow-down slowdown

CompStat numbers falling

Like leaden snowflakes,

No blurred blue lines,

Wallets mistaken

For guns, no guns dis-

Charging accidentally

In pitch black stairwells—

No loose cigarette

Seller executions,

Moratorium

On man-handling men,

Women and children,

On slamming sisters,

Insulting seniors

Darker than buttermilk…

No mow-down since the

Slowdown, blue flu saves

Black lives…

Slowdown speeding up

Dunkin and New York

Goes ‘bout swift business—

What a rockin’ way

To start the New Year!

Ooops, another bullshit

Detector’s blown—it’s not

Neurosurgery

Or rocket science,

To imagine you

Fighting crime, looking

Like a boxer, punching

Himself in the face!

Class-‘wartime,’ crime-fighters

Would look more like Occupy,

Staking out Wall Street,

Arresting on RICO

Charges, brokers,

Banksters, embezzlers

Entering temples

Of crime, confiscating

Laptops, tablets and

Other E-weapons

Of mass destruction,

Impounding their cars

For buying school books…

Class-‘wartime’ crime-fighters

Would arrest serial killer—

Killing every Tuesday—

Drone Ranger, the next

Time he rides his mule

Into NYC,

Kill list stuffed in his boot

Class-‘wartime’ crime-fighters

Could contain covens

Of criminally-insane

Witches like Samantha

Powers, Susan Rice,

Victoria Nuland,

Iron Ladies like Ms

Hillary, et al,

In orange nets next time

They trespass at the U.N.—

Rather than Sergeant

Pepperspray dousing

Young Occupy girls…

Class-‘wartime’ crime-fighters

Would put plastic cuffs

On old trolls like O’Reilly

Shouting “Fire!” in crowded

Theaters of war;

Bust 9/11

Hustlers like Count Ghouliani,

For loitering with

9/11 carts

In non-commercial zones…

III. Turn, turn, turn

A time for the killing of Browns and Blacks

For calling off marches, but turning backs…

A time for turning their backs on their mayor

The strong mass movement’s our only prayer

A strong movement ‘s in the world’s favor

Resisting empire, adding “Ferguson flavor”

Keep marching hard with flare you possess

Linking living-wage, Occupy and BDS!

Turn, turn, turn

Opposing police militarization —

Opposing their Israelification

Armed with musket or blunderbuss

It’s a “good shoot,” shooting us!

Turn, turn, turn

Herr Bratton’s shtik of “broken windows”

Like rebel yells, with “Dixie” crescendos

Slave patrol cars, helicopters and tanks

Real estate muscle for Wall Street banks

On call mercenaries for the one percent

With robotic violence for sale, or rent

Protecting /serving swindlers and looters—

Along with judges and prosecutors…

Turn, turn, turn

Opposing police militarization —

Opposing their Israelification

Armed with musket or blunderbuss

It’s a “good shoot,” shooting us!

Turn, turn, turn

A time for war, and a time for peace

A time for the leper training police

Police traipsing off to Tel Aviv

Apartheid change you can believe

Old techniques for guarding settlers

Treating the residents like meddlers

Taking mastery to a whole new level—

We’re “crim-terr,” poor “black devil”

Ghetto’s Gaza, barrio’s West Bank

Both fertile with SWAT team and tank

Licensed to ‘smoke’ Black-Brown ass—

Palestinians, it’s “mowing the grass…”

It’s “in policy” to kill with impunity

When policing the Black community…

Turn, turn, turn

Opposing police’s militarization —

Opposing their Israelification

Armed with musket or blunderbuss

It’s a “good shoot,” shooting us!

Turn, turn, turn

Cops need less training, more un-training

With their capitalist paymasters reigning…

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