Piece Process | Black Agenda Report

Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence

23 May 2018

🖨️ Print Article

Israeli sniper prepares to implement the piece process.

Breathe, Relax, Aim, Sight, Squeeze
it’s a joy-stick; a video game to him
He has orders to “light up” anything that moves;
“Mow the grass, one blade at a time…” “One shot,
one kill…”
So far, he’s bagged a man on crutches, 3 disabled, 2 children

Azriel stalks victims in the valley of death; studies
them through his scope; taking careful aim; punching
tight little holes in heads and torsos—distant targets—
They’re sudden spray, pink haze floating above spots
where they stood. No regret. No sorrow for families…

A plume of black smoke from flaming tires curls
into his crosshairs, his snake eyes nesting in sand—
a nano second too late—
Another child’s head ‘clashes’
with a butterfly bullet from a
football field away—
Crimson skull fragments
explode from the grapefruit-sized exit wound;
Spent cartridges, his ‘kill brass,’ pile up in the
sand…
Ah, the rules of engagement
What’s bone, arteries—another amputated leg—
got to do with it/the piece process: shoot one man,
Terrify a thousand? Don’t ‘our’ finest train there?

poerty

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles? Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.

More Stories

Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
Congolese Journalist: It’s Time to Stop Negotiating with Rwanda
21 Feb 2024
Rwanda’s M23 militia and Rwandan Special Forces have been advancing on Goma, the capital city of North Kivu Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Ann Garrison speaks with Congolese…
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
The Karma of Kap or curse of capitalism??
21 Feb 2024
"The Karma of Kap or curse of capitalism??" is the latest from our Poet-in-Residence.
Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist
People Centered Human Rights and the Black Radical Tradition
21 Feb 2024
On this anniversary of the death of Malcolm X, it's important to reflect on his life and the true meaning of human rights. We are republishing this 2021 essay from our Editor and Columnist,…
Essam Elkorghli
Reconciling with Libya’s History on the 13th Anniversary of NATO’s Regime Change: Everyday Politics in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (Matteo Capasso) - Book Review
21 Feb 2024
Essam Elkorghli reviews the book, "Everyday Politics in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya" by Matteo Capasso, which discusses the history and politics of Libya in the decades leading up to the 2011 uprising…
Mark P. Fancher
Israel – Imperialism’s MVP (Most Valuable Proxy)
21 Feb 2024
Joe Biden's unchanging support of Israel during the ongoing genocide in Palestine, despite massive resistance, reflects the U.S. empire's commitment to protecting its imperialist interests in the…

Related Stories

More Stories