Poem by Raymond Nat Turner
Our wise Monk-guru,
White winter mane and
Douglass beard,
Sonny's an
Oak tree growing out
Sugar Hill concrete—
Colossus reaching,
Stretching out into
Open Van Gogh sky...
Stairway To The Stars
Sage alchemist, blowing
Brass tears from his tone
Into sweet sunbeams,
Reflecting Freedom Suite
Swagger, greeting Tubman years
His winter's more
Vital to peace people—
Humble, calloused, sweaty tribes—
Than great spring and summer
Bean stalking, Bird watching
Gruff stuff, monkey bar cage,
Mirror, Brownie Points
Bridge to Ashram karma
Yoga arc sterling character puzzle...
My 70s Sonny story:
One Hollywood night,
Harold Vick and Sonny
Locked up like Ali and
Frazier in Shelly's Manhole—
"Thrilla in Manila,"
Jazz giants grappling
Like elephants
Rumbling in the jungle,
Tenor trunks roaring
Chorus after chorus after chorus...
Then, Miles-to-Trane-like... the
Winner... Sonny, took
The horn out his mouth:
"I don't have any more"
To shouts "More!" "More!"
Oak tree growing out
Sugar Hill concrete—
Colossus reaching,
Stretching out into
Open Van Gogh sky—
Forty years later...
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.
Liberation struggles are not fought only on the battlefield. The African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC) left a legacy of educational decolonization.
