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

Mengele Medicine… Free
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
12 Jul 2017
🖨️ Print Article

by BAR poet in residence Raynmond Nat Turner

This week our poet examines the links between the blankets settlers distributed among Native Americans and capitalism's reckless disregard of human, environmental and medica ethics.

Mengele Medicine… Free

by BAR poet in residence Raynmond Nat Turner

I.
My mom inspected
hell holes, City of
Angels,
ruled by devils.

Captured Angelinos
complained about
Not getting water.
Red punch, sí— water, no;
As the Founding Fathers,
The Framers—of warriors
and truth-tellers—intended…

Outside the city,
concertina wire veils
Loveless gray walls
keeping a grim gulag
out of sight, out of mind;
Concealing the work camp,
pharmaceutical
playground, infested
with sadistic torturers;
and Mengele medicine men
standing on skeletons—
suffering side-effects
of pulse-less persons,
$500.00 an hour lawyers.

Mengele medicine men,
practicing goober dust,
black cat dander, four-
leaf clover, rabbit’s foot,
aspirin for cancer quackery.
Experimenting with
effects of no water,
sugar water, fracked water,
black water, white bread
on diabetic shock subjects—
Side effects of remote-
controlled Death Panels,
posing as parole boards…

II.
Warriors, Freedom Fighters’
Sacrifices paved our way—
Heroic lamp-lighters
Long for light of day
And they gotta be Free, Free, Free
‘Cause they hold the Key, Key, Key

Resistance isn’t crime
When tellers of truth fight back
From cages of endless time
And peculiar tenure-track
And they gotta be Free, Free, Free
‘Cause they hold the Key, Key, Key

Torture arisoners, Prisoners of War…)

(1st stanza 1st time Rubato; Ballad feel;
1st stanza 2nd time to Groove)

Raymond Nat Turner © 2017 All Rights Reserved

BAR's Ppoet in residence, Raymond Nat Turner is an acclaimed poet and performance artist. We'll have to put up a booking page for him here soon. Meanwhile you can 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


  • Against the “Triple Evils”: The Biden Administration’s Affront to Dr. King’s Legacy
    Charisse Burden-Stelly, PhD
    Against the “Triple Evils”: The Biden Administration’s Affront to Dr. King’s Legacy
    19 Jan 2022
    Joe Biden and other politicians may evoke Dr. King's legacy but their actions are an affront.
  • Biden-Harris and the Never-Ending Commitment to War and Terror
    Salifu Mack , Erica Caines
    Biden-Harris and the Never-Ending Commitment to War and Terror
    19 Jan 2022
    Imperialism is the order of the day for Biden and Harris. There is no harm reduction for the U.S. or for people around the world.
  • Biden and His Promises, Promises. Why Did You Believe?
    Jacqueline Luqman
    Biden and His Promises, Promises. Why Did You Believe?
    19 Jan 2022
    Presidential candidate Joe Biden promised action on issues that had broad public support. But once in office he refused to do what the people wanted.
  • Environmental Racism Photo credit - Flickr ©Lorie Shaull
    Anthony Rogers-Wright
    For Black People, Ridin’ With Biden is a Health Hazard
    18 Jan 2022
    Like all of his predecessors, Joe Biden is in the pocket of fossil fuel corporations and other polluters. Environmental racism is a byproduct of this corruption.
  • The Disintegrating Façade of US Democracy
    Netfa Freeman
    The Disintegrating Façade of US Democracy
    18 Jan 2022
    The use of the word democracy in this country is farcical. It is meant to hide that an oligarchy is in power.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us