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

For Fancy Miss Nancy
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
19 Dec 2018
🖨️ Print Article
Nancy Sue Wilson 1937-2018
Nancy Sue Wilson 1937-2018

Guess who I saw
today, black and white photo,
Marching, Montgomery from
Selma, ‘65?

Guess who I saw
at my high school swingin’ the
Trio; urging us to stay in school?

Guess who I,
was privileged to sequence
a later CD for, late one night?

…and you don’t know, you don’t know how
Glad I am that she
put the purr in whisper, with a sultry
Sound that could make subpoenas seem sensuous

…and you don’t know, you don’t know how
Glad I am that she
Appeared, sparkling, at the end of the
golden era—looking as good as she sounded—
Her face should grace
Buckeye State flags emblazoned
“There will never be another you…”

…and you don’t know, you don’t know how
Glad I am that she
Hovered earth— stunning hummingbird,
gorgeous humanitarian, giving the greatest
performance of her life, moments I loitered—
not seizing the time and asking, “When did
You leave heaven?”
Though, I think it was maybe ’37? I know she’s

Free Again…

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

Raymond Nat Turner is an acclaimed poet and performing artist. 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


  • “The American Disease”: Only the Overthrow of the Oligarchy Will Cure It
    Glen Ford, BAR Executive Editor
    “The American Disease”: Only the Overthrow of the Oligarchy Will Cure It
    02 Apr 2020
    Although the coronavirus provided the trigger for the current global shrinkage, the economic crisis was already looming when the pathogen made its physical appearance.
  • Freedom Rider: COVID-19 and Black Workers
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR senior columnist
    Freedom Rider: COVID-19 and Black Workers
    01 Apr 2020
    The gross inequalities and declining standards of life in the US are magnified by the corona crisis, pushing already marginalized populations to the brink.
  • China and Cuba’s Medical Internationalism is a Shining Example of Global Solidarity
    Danny Haiphong, BAR Contributing Editor
    China and Cuba’s Medical Internationalism is a Shining Example of Global Solidarity
    01 Apr 2020
    China sends medical equipment abroad, Cuba sends doctors and cutting-edge drugs, but the US fails to provide its people, doctors and nurses with basic tools and protection.
  • Pentagon Orders All Installations to Stop Reporting COVID-19 Infections and Deaths 
    Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    Pentagon Orders All Installations to Stop Reporting COVID-19 Infections and Deaths 
    01 Apr 2020
    This is going to become a problem for the Pentagon, whether it's on Navy destroyers, submarines, and aircraft carriers or the 800+ bases.
  • Flattening the curve on Capitalism?
    BAR Poet-in-Residence Raymond Nat Turner
    Flattening the curve on Capitalism?
    01 Apr 2020
    CEO from Boeing to CEO from Wells Fargo,  heard by the flies on walls at Mar-a-Lago: “It’s their health or our economy— we get to choose…”
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us