Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

…solidarity sounds like…
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
10 Apr 2019
🖨️ Print Article
movement
this is what solidarity looks like...

I’m a Seoul Man, da-da-da—dat-da-da-da
I’m a Seoul Man, da-da-da—dat-da-da-da
I’m also a Pyongyang, Managua, Manilla,
Teheran Man, too—As opposed to despot
As I am to coup!
When they go high—
Pole dancing palace and peacock throne—
I go low— on my own: grassroots, salt of the earth…
Lookin’ here and there, searchin’ everywhere
for bleach, Windex, Pine Sol scents—
janitors scrubbing toilets, mopping floors;
Lookin’ for blue plumes of forklift fumes—
pallets groaning in harmony with lunch
bucket language of warehouse workers;
Lookin’ for oily mist, machines birthing
stainless steel parts on shop floors;
Listenin’ for punch presses pounding parts
out for machine tools;
Listenin’ for squealing carts of library workers;
Listenin’ for intercoms ordering nurses to stations,
bells releasing teachers to lunch
Lookin’ to stand shoulder to shoulder
with—Workers of the World

I’m a Seoul Man, da-da-da—dat-da-da-da
I’m a Seoul Man, da-da-da—dat-da-da-da
I’m also a Pyongyang, Managua, Manilla,
Teheran Man, too—As opposed to despot
As I am to coup!
When they go high—
Pole dancing palace and peacock throne—
I go low— on my own: grassroots, salt of the earth…
Lookin’ here and there, searchin’ everywhere
Listenin’ for stiffening spine, rattling chain
leaping from guitars and marching to drums;
Lookin’ for ruby banners and fiery pens;
Lookin’ for actors; not dupes and dopes
dangling on dicks of dictators, kleptocrats,
torturers, Czars—like Negroz and liberals
dangled from The Drone Ranger…

© 2019. Raymond Nat Turner, The Town Crier. All Rights Reserved.

© 2019. Raymond Nat Turner, The Town Crier. All Rights Reserved.,br/> Raymond Nat Turner is an accomplished poet and performing artist. You can find much more of his work at http://upsurgejazz.com.

poetry

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


More Stories


  • As Army and Rapid Support Forces Battle It Out, Sudanese Left Calls for Restoring the Revolution
    Pavan Kulkarni
    As Army and Rapid Support Forces Battle It Out, Sudanese Left Calls for Restoring the Revolution
    19 Apr 2023
    The Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have begun fighting each other. The root of the conflict lies in disagreements over integrating the paramilitary into the army. The…
  • Efforts to Reduce Israeli Influence in Africa Continue
    Abayomi Azikiwe
    Efforts to Reduce Israeli Influence in Africa Continue
    19 Apr 2023
    Israel's efforts to influence African nations is opposed by individuals and nations who are committed to Palestinian solidarity.
  • Black Agenda Radio April 14, 2023
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio April 14, 2023
    14 Apr 2023
    U.S. sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, Black maternal health, and background of the proxy war in Ukraine.
  • The Nord Stream Cover Story Falls Apart
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    The Nord Stream Cover Story Falls Apart
    14 Apr 2023
    Margaret Kimberley was a guest on a recent segment of Sputnik’s program, The Critical Hour.
  • Black Maternal Health
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Maternal Health
    14 Apr 2023
    Black Maternal Health week is April 11 through April 17.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us