American Muslim chilren
Hey Ayat, we were an odd
couple, haunting the library
for magical books,
deciding how and where
we wanted to work…
Our symbiosis
Your linguistic ticket to
4th grade status—
and my meal ticket
Hey Aayat, forget that
you worked hard
raising your reading
from 1.4
to 4.
Forget how
You sweated in your
Hijab,Cali sun streaming
through the hallway where we worked
Your seat wet with sweat
when I insisted you break for water.
Forget how my eyes welled up when…
When you read the word “chlorophyll”
with
a li’l Arabic seasoning.
Forget our enchanted
moment, our turning point,
finding a book
on your birthplace, your
religion
Hey Ayat, I apologize—
It’s America first and
American Heroes must
Kill
Kids like you in Yemen—
But, “God will sort it out…”
When they get to Heaven.
And one day you’ll understand
Why
American heroes kill for pipe-
lines…
© 2016. Raymond Nat Turner,The Town Crier. All Rights Reserved.
Raymond Nat Turner is an acclaimed performing artist and educator, and an official in the National Writers Union.
Find much more of his work at http://upsurgejazz.com
Gwen Debrow is a member of the Campaign to Bring Mumia Home and the #LoveNotPhear Campaign. She joins us from New York City to discuss mobilizing for the next stage of Mumia Abu Jamal’s…
Margaret Kimberley appeared on The Critical Hour with co-hosts Garland Nixon and Dr. Wilmer Leon. They discussed the U.S. drive to sanction Russia which is causing economic damage and…
Black Alliance for Peace kicked off the 2022 International Month of Action Against AFRICOM with the webinar “Colonialism, Compradors & the Militarized Crisis of Capitalism in Africa."
The Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference returned with dubious corporate sponsorships and obedience to the democratic party. Joe Biden received a warm welcome which is logical…
On the history and origins of anti-Haitian sentiment in the Dominican Republic.
