by BAR poet in residence Raymond Nat Turner
in which our poet compares the connection between needed undertakings on the part of each according to her ability unto each according to her need to some other undertakings bearing the same name....
“Operation”
by BAR poet in residence Raymond Nat Turner
I hear the Dr.—
the healer—speaking
fractured eye sockets,
shattered skulls,
ruptured bladders—
tubes in throats
singing silently
of blunt force
My snare tightens—
beating about blessings the
children and I were granted
I hear the Dr.—
the healer—speaking of
Bronx boulders, deadly detours,
tragic odysseys, then seven years
good luck, studying in Cuba!
For the umpteenth time I wonder
what life would’ve looked like had
the boulders not blocked my
Brother’s path to pinstripes?
She speaks passionately
about bedside manner, care,
Healing—thankfully—not a
whisper of ‘insurance’ or
‘coverage…’
Her passion echoes my Mom’s—
wearing out phones;
Marching shoe heels off,
Fighting for—founding her
Community’s hospital and
Medical School—
room temperature tears
crescendo down my cheeks,
flooding Memory Lane…
I’m imagining magic of Mom’s hand:
peppery greens, golden cornbread,
turnips, beets, pinto beans,
crispy fried chicken, or meatloaf,
peach cobbler, or sweet potato pie—
seven courses for every year the
Dr. studied medicine in Spanish;
I’m watching them clear the table—
Launching into ‘hows,’ for
Serving
The People—even better!
Seconds later—another program
Is on—and I
hear its Dr.—
of night vision goggles, air support,
blast radius, speak ‘theaters,’ for
an
‘Operation’
To ‘retake’ Mosul…
Raymond Nat Turner is an acclaimed poet and performance artist, and our poet in residence at Black Agenda Report. Find more of his work at http://www.upsurgejazz.com.
Journalists Hossam Shabat and Mohammed Mansour were killed in targeted Israeli airstrikes, as the death toll among media workers continues to rise.
BAP NYC/NJ calls on the masses to oppose the immigration incarceration system and imperialist population control in Our Americas.
In this week’s segment, we hear about the Trump administration's attempt to force CARICOM member nations to end their participation in a Cuban medical program. The administration is also sending…
Camila Escalante is an editor for Kawsachun News and a Latin America correspondent for PressTV. She will discuss the latest Trump administration policies moves in Latin America. Secretary of State…
Showdowns between the Trump administration and the federal judiciary will determine the fate of everyone in the country, including whether the government has the right to send citizens to jail in…
