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


  • Dispatch from PDX (Portland, Oregon); Black Lives Matter in a White Utopia 
    Khalil Martin
    Dispatch from PDX (Portland, Oregon); Black Lives Matter in a White Utopia 
    12 Aug 2020
    The temporal-spatial convergence of the largest white city in amerikka, with the most persistent "BLM" protests and exceedingly white subcultures should not be dismissed as coincidence.
  • Students of Color are Harmed Most by the “Broken Windows” Teaching
    Victoria Theisen-Homer
    Students of Color are Harmed Most by the “Broken Windows” Teaching
    12 Aug 2020
    “No excuses” teaching borrows from the “broken windows” theory of policing, which has been enacted in U.S. cities since the mid-1980s.
  • How a Popular Medical Device Encodes Racial Bias
    Amy Moran-Thomas
    How a Popular Medical Device Encodes Racial Bias
    12 Aug 2020
    Pulse oximeters give biased results for people with darker skin, and the consequences can be serious.
  • Bourgeoisie Cash is flowing in the Coffers of Black Lives Matter
    African People’s Socialist Party
    Bourgeoisie Cash is flowing in the Coffers of Black Lives Matter
    12 Aug 2020
    We must at every instance solve the question of how to fund the revolution without becoming subservient or dependent on our oppressors.
  • Green Party Presidential Candidate Howie Hawkins Says 'Real Solutions Can’t Wait'
    Barry Sheppard
    Green Party Presidential Candidate Howie Hawkins Says 'Real Solutions Can’t Wait'
    12 Aug 2020
    The Green Party’s presidential pick discusses his foreign and domestic policy positions.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us