The Tennessee Three speak in We

Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence

19 Apr 2023

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State Reps. Justin J. Pearson, Gloria Johnson and Justin Jones in Nashville, Tenn., on April 7. (Photo: George Walker IV / AP)

The Tennessee Three speak in We

“Alabama got me so upset,

Tennessee made me lose my rest…”

—Nina Simone, “Mississippi Goddamn”

I.

Cherokees "on the road again.” Violently herded West.

Ethnically-cleansed on crimson Trail of Tears.

Forcibly moved off Tennessee homeland to

Oklahoma—Where land acknowledgment ain’t enough…

II.

Lorraine Motel balcony; Audubon Ballroom;

Mississippi driveway; Chicago bedroom; UCLA

lunchroom polling places—Our leaders were voted out

of office with lead Ballots: swapping steel Lumumba for

malleable Mobutu!

We were left standing on Duopoly corners harmonizing

$campaign/$election songs: “Yes, we can!” and “I feel your

Pain.” Left praying to Pentagon parties of Long COVID

capitalism for depleted uranium, white phosphorus

prosperity

Lightfoot-Drone Rangers remained…Bassackwards Strong

arm Williams Thom-ass Clarence Tribesmen trained to lead

us in the treacherous 2/4 Dance—

Donkey dung-elephant excrement dance—Every 2-4 years

III.

The Tennessee Three speak in We—

from moribund bodies high on white powder in

Corporate crack pipes—

Apartheid state bodies of banana Republican rule

The Tennessee Three speak in We—

in NRA faces of gerrymanders coming

out of caves and fronting for Fat-cats—

Civil War hawks—quacking like lame ducks

The Tennessee Three speak in We—

to bought and bossed good ole boys—Volunteer

State puppets— Paymasters’ hands up nazi asses,

Moving 2nd Amendment/Maximum profit mouths

The Tennessee Three speak in We—

to dog whistling faces of foghorn framers—

Ventriloquists called confederates—Or,

their more modern names: Fascists!

The Tennessee Three speak in We—

to whipping post politicians, rebel-yelling in

cat o’ nine tails tongue—“Tantrum” tommyrot—

branding The Peoples’ Needs: “Wanting attention!”

The Tennessee Three speak in We—

facing starred-barred,

water-hosed, dog-bitten Dixie—Hurricanes of

hardship—Awash with Stax waves of solidarity

The Tennessee Three speak in We—

Standing and delivering! Amplifying voices of ones once

Celebrated !Essential” in nightly pot and pan banging and

clanging concerts

The Tennessee Three speak in We—

Standing and delivering! Amplifying voices of shoe leather,

street heat, pavement politicians, rising in rippling waves of

Maladjusted millions… flicker of what democracy looks like??

© 2023. Raymond Nat Turner, The Town Crier. All Rights Reserved.

Raymond Nat Turner is a NYC poet; BAR's Poet-in-Residence; and founder/co-leader of the jazz-poetry ensemble UpSurge!NYC. You can Vote for his work at: GoFundMe and PayPal.

Tennessee

Tennessee Three

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