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


  • State of Impunity: Fire at Gold Mine Leaves 27 Dead in Arequipa
    Clau O'Brien Moscoso
    State of Impunity: Fire at Gold Mine Leaves 27 Dead in Arequipa
    17 May 2023
    A gold mine fire killed 27 men in Peru. The people in that nation are not just struggling against the coup regime, but against official corruption and the exploitation of people and their land.
  • Daniel Penny is The State
    Ashoka Jegroo
    Daniel Penny is The State
    17 May 2023
    Daniel Penny choked Jordan Neely to death on a New York City subway. He was deputized by the state to do so, and the state continues to defend him and assassinate Neely's character after his murder.
  • Atlanta to Host National Conference for Black Self-Determination and Pan-African Unity
    Tunde Osazua
    Atlanta to Host National Conference for Black Self-Determination and Pan-African Unity
    17 May 2023
    Community Movement Builders is hosting a National Black Radical Organizing Conference in Atlanta, Georgia from June 23 to June 25, "Connecting the national Black struggle for self-determination with…
  • U.S. Backs Dominican Republic As Violence Against Haitians Escalates After 22% of Haitians Deported
    Vladimir Fuentes
    U.S. Backs Dominican Republic As Violence Against Haitians Escalates After 22% of Haitians Deported
    17 May 2023
    The Dominican Republican continues acts of violence and deportations against Haitian descended people with near complete impunity as a result of making thousands of people stateless.
  • South Africa, the ICC and the Global Arms Trade
    Abayomi Azikiwe
    South Africa, the ICC and the Global Arms Trade
    17 May 2023
    Washington continues to pressure African states over their relations with the Russian Federation and the war in Ukraine.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us