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 Many Crimes of Colin Powell
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    The Many Crimes of Colin Powell
    20 Oct 2021
    Colin Powell's death is an opportunity to question the inclination to respect the Black face in a high place. Powell's career includes a litany of crimes that must never be excused.
  • SPEECH: Frederick Douglass on John Brown, 1860
    Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    SPEECH: Frederick Douglass on John Brown, 1860
    20 Oct 2021
    In an 1860 speech commemorating radical abolitionist John Brown's raid on Harper’s Ferry, Frederick Douglass argued that slavery would only end if the slave owner feared the violent retribution
  • Julian Assange and the Poisoned American Psyche
    Danny Haiphong, BAR Contributing Editor
    Julian Assange and the Poisoned American Psyche
    20 Oct 2021
    The Biden administration continues the Trump prosecution of Julian Assange. The case ought to be dismissed out of hand but the U.S.
  • Biden Demands Ethiopia’s Unconditional Surrender
    Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    Biden Demands Ethiopia’s Unconditional Surrender
    20 Oct 2021
    President Joe Biden continues to play the cluelessly racist and paternalistic Ugly American in the Ho
  • Fighting for Oak Flat/Chi Chil Bildagoteel
    Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    Fighting for Oak Flat/Chi Chil Bildagoteel
    20 Oct 2021
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us