"They have got to pick up the work ..."
âRalph Poynter
I.
When I finished poet-ing St. Peters for Lynne;
When I finished poet-ing Riverside for Glen
I received Ralph hugs. And ⌠lived to marvel them âŚ
Ever receive a Ralph hug?
Ever receive a Ralph hug and recalibrate solidarity?
Ever receive a Ralph hug and know its not businessâ
Itâs personal? Ever receive a Ralph hug and gloat over
Protected species status?
Ever receive a Ralph hug and know the real meaning of
Human shield?
II.
Itâs Christmas Day and The Ancestors say, âRay ⌠we need
You to preach a poem punctuated with emeralds, rubies, and
diamondsâ No Ralph hug ⌠this time âŚ
We need you âtryin and Traneinââ Town Cryin red Blues!"
III.
The Ancestors said, âSome of us celebrated Big Apple
Christmases past. Reconnected with cousins.
Listened in awe to aunts and uncles. Gave and received
Gifts with long tons of love. This Christmas we want the best!â
The Ancestors said, "We met more than
4 corners. Conferred, discussed, debatedâ
Decided: 6 decades serving The Peopleâs worthy of
Promotion! Worthy of AIT: Ancestor In Training âŚâ
The Ancestors said, "Some of you will surely screamâ
as if weâve snatched a battalion!
No. Weâre gifting golden opportunities: Walk âŚunbent in
His moccasins! Run ⌠run ⌠Long distances in his boots!â
The Ancestors said, âYour Keystone State Son of a Steel-
worker lives! Lives toiling in fertile fields of your minds.
Lives sowing DNA-deep resistanceâ coursing thru your
heartsâ farms âŚâ
The Ancestors said, âThe steel's hard from knowing white
Heat and hammer ⌠The Steelworker's Son leaves looped,
His triple platinum hit. 3 word song of love. Anti-capitalist
chant. Meditation for movements: âKeep It Going!ââ
The Ancestors said, âHe said, keep bouncing out of bed.
Keep striking blows at monsters burying babies beneath
busted brick/twisted rebar rubble. Monsters gunning down
doctors; bombing hospitals while howling âoperations!ââ
The Ancestors said, âHe said, keep focusing floodlights
on fascists deploying dyslexic snipers reading PRESS
as TARGET! And fascists who canât wait to make America
Grate again ⌠basking in brutal glory of the â50sâ1850s!â
IV.
The Ancestors said,
âRoll up your sleeve
before you leave
And get Ralph Poynter
Protracted Resistance Booster
Shotsâ 6 decade-lasting Jabs!â
âRoll up your sleeve
before you leave
And get Ralph Poynter
Postal Worker protection injectionsâ
Neither rain, sleet, or snow stops you!â
âRoll up your sleeve
before you leave
And fill Ralph Poynter
Prescriptions (Possible side effects include
Reliability; rebelliousnessâever readiness
for revolution ⌠â)
Š 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.
Joy James uses poet Lucille Clifton's image of ânew bonesâ to reflect on a series of revolutionary anniversaries in 2021 and the nature of political leadership.
Dominican racial logic frequently contradicts what US scholars think they know about how race works.
Black History Month strengthened Black German claims of kinship with their nation and the larger diaspora.
The Black political class is wedded to the centrist Democrats for its âfatback and biscuitsâ patronage.
Judges, prosecutors and sheriffs in many states sent people home instead of to jail last year, but new data suggests the change is not lasting.
