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


  • Black America, Endless War and the Evil Genius of Russiagate
    Glen Ford , BAR executive editor
    Black America, Endless War and the Evil Genius of Russiagate
    27 Feb 2020
    The Democrats -- who are now the most aggressive war party – have succeeded in linking Donald Trump to Russia, and then lumping all critics of U.S.
  • Freedom Rider: Bernie Sanders' Foreign Policy Trap
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR senior columnist
    Freedom Rider: Bernie Sanders' Foreign Policy Trap
    26 Feb 2020
    It is time for leftists to stop giving Sanders a pass and make demands on him and all other candidates for office.
  • The U.S. is World’s Merchant of Death in Capitalism’s Great Race to the Bottom
    Danny Haiphong, BAR Contributing Editor
    The U.S. is World’s Merchant of Death in Capitalism’s Great Race to the Bottom
    26 Feb 2020
    The U.S.-led arms trade and the Great Race to the Bottom are interconnected phenomena that cannot be fought separately.
  • Bernie Sanders and the Military Industrial Complex
    Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    Bernie Sanders and the Military Industrial Complex
    26 Feb 2020
    If Bernie Sanders keeps going along with the Russiagate propaganda, he will find himself “Trumped” by the War Party and unable to enact his agenda.
  • My Wise Country Cousin on Dem Big Negroz Ridin’ wit Emperor Stop’nFrisk
    BAR Poet-in-Residence Raymond Nat Turner
    My Wise Country Cousin on Dem Big Negroz Ridin’ wit Emperor Stop’nFrisk
    26 Feb 2020
    Massa Mikul say, “Gib me de blak congressmen an’ mayors— Negroz who unerstan— ‘cause dey is all multimillionaires…” He say, “Big Negroz don’ feel lak dey's takin’ too big ob a risk
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us