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

I’m just a patsy; Don’t let me be patsy…
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
29 Mar 2017
🖨️ Print Article

by BAR poet in residence Raymond Nat Turner

Some are called for the job, while others are chosen. Some folks practice and study and audition, while others stumble into it blindly. Some are coerced and some more are prepped and primed and meticulously prepared for their few minutes of infamy...

I’m just a patsy; Don’t let me be patsy…

by BAR poet in residence Raymond Nat Turner

by BAR poet in residence Raymond Nat Turner

Some are called for the job, some others are chosen. Some folks study and auditiion, while others stumble into it blindly. Some are prepped anbd primed and meticulously prepared....

’m just a patsy; Don’t let me be patsy…

by BAR poet in residence Raymond Nat Turner

yes,
I
Plunged the
black blade 18”
into his brown back
repeatedly
and saw scarlet geysers spurt
familiarly

yes,
I
Traveled north to NYC
to kill black men

yes,
I
Hung with Hitlerites
in Germany
and learned to
Heil

yes,
I
Hunted rag-heads,
camel jockeys,
sand-niggers
in Afghanistan for
salary—
serving two tours
warring on terror
Perfecting
cold-blooded craft

yes,
I
was
broken
down
like legos
and built up like
an Aryan Supreme
erector set in boot camp,

yes,
I
could’ve
Killed
a bunch of
black men in
Uniform—or in
Baltimore—
had I roots there
but
I’m
just a
Patsy—
guinea pig—
like the Baltimore black boy who
Killed 2 Brooklyn cops
when Black Lives Matter
Marches
scorched streets, 170 cities

I
remember
where
Fort Detrick is
in Maryland,
but
I
have no idea
how
Neurotransmitters work;
how
Psychotropic drugs
Alter moods and
Change consciousness,

I
sought
Help
dealing with demons—
but
Demons
found funding for
dealing with me—
I’m
just a
Patsy,
don’t let me be a patsy:
Making Amerikkka great…,

Raymond Nat Turner © 2017 All Rights Reserved
Raymond Nat Turner is an acclaimed poet and performing artist.
Find much more of his work at Http://upsurgejazz.com

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles? Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.


More Stories


  • Charisse Burden-Stelly, PhD
    Twentieth Century Red Scares in the United States
    23 Sep 2026
    Red Scares are a recurring feature of the U.S. political tradition aimed at criminalizing anticapitalist politics through accusations of foreign infiltration and conspiracy. The NSPM-7 and the report…
  • Abayomi Azikiwe
    Niger Thwarts Attempted Coup Amid Ongoing Threats to the Alliance of Sahel States
    23 Sep 2026
    For several years, three landlocked West African states have undergone political transformations designed to turn the page on French neo-colonialism.
  • Black Alliance For Peace
    U.S. Hands off Mali, U.S. Hands off the AES, U.S. Out of Africa, and Shut Down AFRICOM
    23 Sep 2026
    The U.S. is considering drone strikes and sanctions against the Alliance of Sahel States under the guise of counterterrorism, but the real objective is to regain neo-colonial control over African…
  • Roberta Rivolta
    Western Activism and the Axis of Resistance
    23 Sep 2026
    Western pro-Palestinian activism isolates Palestine from its regional allies, depoliticizing its struggle and reinforcing colonial divisions.
  • Nicholas Mwangi
    US Votes Against UN Resolution Promoting Maps Reflecting Africa’s True Size
    23 Sep 2026
    The United Nations has adopted a resolution calling for the use of map projections that more accurately portray the size and proportions of the world’s continents, particularly correcting the long-…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us