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

Bad Hombres
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
25 Jul 2018
🖨️ Print Article
Bad Hombres
Central American has the highest murder rate on the planet, thanks to 2 centuries of US intervention.

Miguel was a precocious
six-year-old. And Maria,
his mother, swore the
Sun’s shine started in
his green eyes. ‘Ojos Verde,’
she lovingly called him.

Blessed with perfect pitch,
Miguel’s music aptitude
was off the charts! He could pick
Melodies out on the tiny, beat up
guitar, his Grandpa rescued from
Rich folks’ trash and put in Miguel’s
small hands the moment he walked.
And the sky was the limit—before
Bad Hombres with
Badges kidnapped him…

Floods of florescent light, 24/7
and arbitrary darkness behind
blacked out windows…remind
Miguel that his world is flipped
Upside down like a car skidding out of
Control somewhere in Oregon or New York.
He misses his Mommy; He rocks and chants
staccato licks, “Ma-ma, ma-ma, ma-ma…”

The sharp needle pierces his tender
Brown flesh. He screams, “Ma-ma, Ma-ma!”
Sunshine drains from emerald eyes into slo-
mo replays like red flags thrown through the
Rest of his life…

After 54 days Miguel’s reunited with his Mommy.
She searches scabies and lice for emerald sunshine,
Finding busted windows where a tortured soul and
Nightmares reside profitably: Childcare provided by
Bad Hombres—
drug dealers
and rapists…

© 2018. Raymond Nat Turner, The Town Crier. All Rights Reserved.

Raymond Nat Turner is an acclaimed poet and performing artist. Find much more of his work at http://upsurgejazz.com.

Central America

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


Related Stories

John Perry
UN “Experts” Fueling Washington’s Attacks on Nicaragua
01 April 2026
The UN panel’s reports on Nicaragua recycle claims from U.S.-backed opposition groups, serving as a propaganda arm for Washington’s regime chan
Gerald A. Perreira
Turning Its Back on Cuba: Government of Guyana Sells Its Soul
25 February 2026
Cuba has provided Guyana with doctors, scholarships, and healthcare for nearly five decades.

More Stories


  • The Struggle for Bodily Autonomy in Marginalized Communities
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    The Struggle for Bodily Autonomy in Marginalized Communities
    26 Aug 2022
    Mahnker Dahnweh of Freedom, Inc. is co-author of an article which focuses on the struggle for bodily autonomy and the impact of the Supreme Court Dobbs decision on marginalized communities. She…
  • BAR Book Forum: Ren Ellis Neyra’s Book, “The Cry of the Senses”
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Ren Ellis Neyra’s Book, “The Cry of the Senses”
    24 Aug 2022
    This week’s featured author is Ren Ellis Neyra. Elis Neyra is Associate Professor of English at Wesleyan University. Their book is The Cry of the Senses: Listening to Latinx and Caribbean Poetics.
  • Liberals Love Liz Cheney
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Liberals Love Liz Cheney
    24 Aug 2022
    When liberals aren't rehabilitating war criminals like George W. Bush they fall in love with right wing republicans like Liz Cheney. They stand for nothing and fall for anything. They are traitors to…
  • ESSAY: Racial Genocide: The Case of the Martinsville Seven, William L. Patterson, 1969
    Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    ESSAY: Racial Genocide: The Case of the Martinsville Seven, William L. Patterson, 1969
    24 Aug 2022
    For Black August, read William L. Patterson on racial genocide, the law, and the Martinsville Seven.
  • The U.S. Legacy in Afghanistan: War Crimes and Imperialist Double Standards
    Danny Haiphong, BAR Contributing Editor
    The U.S. Legacy in Afghanistan: War Crimes and Imperialist Double Standards
    24 Aug 2022
    One year ago the U.S. was ousted from Afghanistan after making war on that country for 20 years. But the U.S. killed civilians as it left and stole Afghanistan's assets. It seems there is no end to…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us