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

Wizard of Oz redux— …and some casting questions…
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
24 Aug 2022
🖨️ Print Article
Wizard of Oz redux—  …and some casting questions…

                                                                                                                     Wizard of Oz redux—

                                                                                                            …and some casting questions…

Suppose Hollywood hits you up
‘bout this big budget redo of
The Wizard of Oz? What if they
say it’s all your call…’cept this?

They say you must shoot in Uvalde
using locals. No big name stars. Do you say
“OK” when they say, “And you must cast the
Cops?” Or, do you ask—“What as?”

Angry Apple Tree? Crows in the Corn
Field? Ozmites? Tin Polishers? Horse
of Another Color? Almira Gulch’s bi
cycle?

Lullaby League? Lollipop Guild? Scare
crow? Sleepyheads? Munchkin Fiddlers?
Munchkin Soldiers? Munchkin Barristers?
Munchkin Mayor? Munchkin Coroner?

Hunk? Uncle Henry? Hickory? Toto?
Dorthy Gale? Aunt Em? Almira Gulch?
Professor Marvel? Tin Man? Glinda?
Wizard? Wicked Witch? Ruby Slippers?

Winged Monkeys instructed: “Take your Army
to the Haunted Forest and bring me those boys
and girls! Do what you want with the others—
They'll give you no trouble I promise you that?”

Winkies chanting, “O-Ee-Yah! Eoh-Ah!” into
radios in the school hallway? Hearing, “Poppies,
poppies, poppies” instead of some shooter’s
Pop-pop-pop-pops for some 70 minutes?

Are we leaving any characters out?

© 2022. 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.

Uvalde

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


More Stories


  • BAR Book Forum: Kristen R. Ghodsee’s “Second World, Second Sex”
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Kristen R. Ghodsee’s “Second World, Second Sex”
    17 Jun 2020
    Socialist ideas about the inextricable links between class, race, and gender predate the concept of intersectionality. 
  • ​​​​​​​Re-Embracing Internationalism and Class Solidarity in the Time of #BlackLivesMatter
    Berna Ellorin and Adrian Bonifacio
    ​​​​​​​Re-Embracing Internationalism and Class Solidarity in the Time of #BlackLivesMatter
    17 Jun 2020
    The struggle against systemic racism and the police state in the US is integral and linked to the struggle against US wars of aggression overseas. 
  • Black-Outs, ‘Black Lives Matter’ and Black Power
    Erica Caines
    Black-Outs, ‘Black Lives Matter’ and Black Power
    17 Jun 2020
    Community control of police and prison abolition have been completely removed from the conversations dictated by a mainstream and complacent narrative.
  • Caribbean Workers and Capitalist Geography: An interview with Marion Werner
    The Public Archive
    Caribbean Workers and Capitalist Geography: An interview with Marion Werner
    17 Jun 2020
    Global Displacements is an examination of the impact of the global organization of capitalist accumulation and exploitation on the life and labor of Haitian and Dominica
  • Update on Charges Against the Venezuela Embassy Protectors
    Ajamu Baraka and Bahman Azad
    Update on Charges Against the Venezuela Embassy Protectors
    17 Jun 2020
    It was agreed that dropping the federal charges and seeking no jail time in return for pleading to a very low-level DC Code charge was an important victory.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us