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

Trigger Warning
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
22 Nov 2023
🖨️ Print Article
Protest for Palestine at the White House
Protest for Palestine at the White House (Photo: Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)

Trigger Warning

Palestine’s the
Answer—
What was the
Question?

Why the red line in the tan sand—splitting the
World into irreconcilable camps? Oppressed-
oppressors; Exploited-exploiters; haves-Have nots?
Why the flashing cherry red moral lights—Demanding
Decisive Action—NOW?

Why siren urgency of squawking shofars? Of searing
saxophones? Why are anti-genocide guerrillas riding
in the moment? Improvising like Jazz Masters? Rallying
Scorched earth actions— cutting off Business As Usual
Choke-points?

Why the occupations of great train stations? The re-routing of rail-
roads? Why the blocking of bridges? Why are ports being held hostage—
From the Hudson to the Pacific? Why the sit-ins in offices of Lilliputians
posing as lionized leaders? Why are corrupt congress members’ and
sleazy senators’ steer manure messages being blown out of the water?
Why are Moby Dick-sized lies of bought and bossed windbags getting
Shot down…. one-by-one?

Why do Hellfire Missiles of murderous, mustard seed-hearted men
incinerate our holiness? Coat our hearts with white phosphorus?
Strangle our souls?
Killing us softly with their
Wars?

Palestine’s the
Answer—
What was the
Question?
 

© 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.

Palestine
poetry

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


Related Stories

Jeremy Scahill , Jawa Ahmad
Exclusive: Internal Documents Show Trump’s “Board of Peace“ Moving to Crush Palestinian Self-Determination
24 June 2026
Gaza proposals obtained by Drop Site show Trump’s board attempting to force a Palestinian surrender that Israel could not achieve in war.
Ramzy Baroud
Why Didn’t Iran Put Gaza on the Table? A Difficult Answer
03 June 2026
From Gaza to Tehran, from the politics of resistance to the limits of regional diplomacy, a pressing question has resurfaced amid the 2026 war:
Editors, The Black Agenda Review
ESSAY: The Palestine Question: Background and Solution, Edward Atiyah, 1946
20 May 2026
“It is impossible to make a national home for one people in a country inhabited by another, except by dislodging the latter.”
Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
Regarding Nuclear War Between Israel and Iran
15 April 2026
The political fallout from Trump’s recklessness in West Asia continues around the globe, while some wonder how far the radioactive fa
​​​​​​​ Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist , Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
What is the 'Left' in the Era of Global Fascism
18 March 2026
There is no coherent and sustained leftist movement at the very moment that U.S. led global fascism is accelerating.
​​​​​​​ Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist
The Light of Palestine Will Lead the Way to Global Liberation
18 March 2026
Black Agenda Report Editor and Columnist, Ajamu Baraka, recently gave a presentation at the 4th International Conference “Palestine: The Nation
Joseph Massad
Who threatens the Arab world: Iran or the US and Israel?
18 March 2026
It should be clear to Gulf Arab states hosting US bases that the American presence does not protect them but instead places them in danger.
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
Everything they touch turns to rubble
11 March 2026
Saddest symphony on Earth. Trembling notes, harrowing screams, wails,moans. Same timbre, same tones. Same saline Palestine tears as Sudan.
Faris Giacaman
Israel is using the ‘Gaza doctrine’ in Lebanon and Iran
11 March 2026
For years, Israel used the “Dahiya doctrine” in Gaza. Now it’s using the “Gaza doctrine” in Dahiya — and Tehran.
Editors, The Black Agenda Review
EDITORIAL: Iran, Third World People and U.S. Foreign Policy, Palestine Perspectives, 1979
04 March 2026
“The events in Iran are a symptom—of a 20th century disease called imperialism.”

More Stories


  • Hamza Hamouchene
    The psychology of oppression and liberation
    03 Jul 2024
    As the world watches the ongoing genocide in Gaza, a thorough reading and understanding of Frantz Fanon's writings around colonialism, revolution, and psychology are critical to the struggle for…
  • Jim India
    Dear Haiti, our Kenyan police are a problem
    03 Jul 2024
    Kenya's police are notorious for their violence and disregard for the Kenyan people. As they arrive in Haiti for the "security support" mission, Haitians should be aware of the brutality they…
  • Eric Umansky
    How the N.Y.P.D. Quietly Shuts Down Discipline Cases Against Officers
    03 Jul 2024
    Police Commissioner Edward Caban has often relied on an obscure authority to intervene when officers are accused of serious wrongdoing, often handing out little to no punishment.
  • Black Agenda Radio
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio June 28, 2024
    28 Jun 2024
    This week, we discuss the Shelby County v. Holder Supreme Court decision and the need to reinstate the gutted provisions. Also, Washington, D.C. activists mobilize against the new crime bill. But…
  • Al Sharpton press conference
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Sharpton and Black Misleaders Support the Occupation of Haiti
    28 Jun 2024
    Dahoud Andre joins us to discuss Rev. Al Sharpton and other self-titled New York City Faith Leaders who are openly supporting the latest occupation of Haiti, which has recently begun with the arrival…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us