My Wise Country Cousin on Commander’s Legacy

by BAR poet in residence Raymond Nat Turner

Legussy?! Legussy?! Legussy?! Son, now you needa quit

Stop wit dis ol’ nappy-headed foolishness, dis legussy shit:

Wen Negroz wus runnin’ ‘roun’ wit his face on dey chests

I axe, “Lawd, why is Dem fools all sportin’ suicide vests?”

Negroz goin’ ga-ga, droolin’ all ober him lak damn fools

While he hab dat Dunkin boy privatizin’, closin’ schools

De Commanduh busy killin’ po’ peoples wit his drones—

onlest thing smart ‘bout sum damn Negroz is dey phones!

Legussy? Erack, Afgan surges, an’ Toozday drone kills

Also, deportin’ mo’ Mexicuns den Big Farma gots pills!

I peeped his maskaradin’, de way dat he han’l Skippy-Gate—

Beer stunt show me he a cog in de repressif mashene ob state

Prancin’ ‘roun’ de wurl wit threats as Commanduh ‘n Cheef

Unleashin’ Afri-Com bringin’ Mama Africa mo’ war an’ greef

H’m, son, yo queshun to me is jes’ a lil’ mo’ den a bit strange—

In Asia, Africa, Latun Amerka he know’d fo’ regeem change!!

An’ wit dat ol’ Holda boy sen’n de mos’ whissul-blowas to jail

But not nare one ob de sub-primers an’ banksters “too big to fail”

Legussy? Crushin’ all dem promisin’ young acktavis, Occupy kids

His massif spyin’—speshully on all de Mooselms an’ dey maskjids

Negroz runnin’ ‘roun’ praisin’ de so-called Afforduhbull Care Ack

Which, ‘tween me an’ you, is Insurenz an’ Farmasuitcul Kick Bak

While, lawd, he luv lecturin’ Negroz how “a risin’ tide lif’ all boats”

Why, dats lak sayin’ “Sir” stops Mississippians frum cuttin’ throats

De truf is, he nebbur planned to hab no Negroz an’ no po’folk baks

‘Cept fo’ croonin’ an’ otha weak-ass gestas in de afermaf ob attaks

Remebur how Mackavellan he play Flint, Fergusin’, an’ Baltimo’?

IF he cum, it’s wit “hearts an’ prayurs”, song an’ posin’ fo’ a foto

Caint you see dat de Commanduh ain’t got no legussy to stan on?

An’you wanna know de hones ta gawd truf: caint wait ‘til he gone!

His legussy? Bamboozlin’ po’ Negroz wit a Blak Face in a Hi Place

Sum speeches an’ croonin’ “Less Stay Togetha” an “Amazin’ Grace”

What he do fo’ Negroz ‘cept sing a few songs an’ sip a few beers?

He put Dem into a deep, deep…catnip sleep fo’ almos’ ten years…

Lawd, I’ll be glad wen Negroz grab Dem sefs sum Adult Politiks

Teachin’ dem sefs how to see rite thru rich folks tokenistic tricks

Maybe Negroz will wake Dem sefs up an’ really start to organize

While washin’ all ob dat gooey “hope an’ change “ frum dey eyes

Enuf wit all dis tomfoolery, dis mumbo-jumbo—leggussy my ass—

Negroz wake up: start seein’ dis ol’ wurl thru spektaculs ob class!

Raymond Nat Turner is an acclaimed poet and performance artist, and our poet in residence at Black Agenda Report. Find more of his work at http://www.upsurgejazz.com.

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