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


  • Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed at Fifty
    Liza Featherstone 
    Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed at Fifty
    28 Oct 2020
    Even as many more people around the world have access to education, schooling everywhere remains intertwined with systems of oppression, including racism and capitalism.
  • Haiti and a Long History of Assault
    Lautaro Rivara
    Haiti and a Long History of Assault
    28 Oct 2020
    For fifteen years Latin American nations collaborated in the military occupation of Haiti, but have yet to apologize for their crimes.
  • Twitter Surveillance Startup Targets Communities of Color for Cops
    Sam Biddle
    Twitter Surveillance Startup Targets Communities of Color for Cops
    28 Oct 2020
    Insiders say Dataminr’s “algorithmic” Twitter search involves human staffers perpetuating confirmation biases, searching specific neighborhoods, streets, and even housing complexes for crime.
  • Capitalism Made Women Of Color More Vulnerable To The COVID Recession
    Tithi Bhattachary
    Capitalism Made Women Of Color More Vulnerable To The COVID Recession
    28 Oct 2020
    Black women and Latinas have performed the bulk of the essential work during lockdown and borne the brunt of the recession.
  •  Black Agenda Radio for Week October 26, 2020
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley and Glen Ford
    Black Agenda Radio for Week October 26, 2020
    27 Oct 2020
    The Rich Will Use Crisis to Further Immiserate Workers
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us