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: Pamela Ayo Yetunde and Cheryl A. Giles’s “Black and Buddhist”
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Pamela Ayo Yetunde and Cheryl A. Giles’s “Black and Buddhist”
    18 Nov 2020
    Activists and community organizers have never known the precariousness of the threats they face today.
  • Sanctions Against Venezuela Will Continue Under Biden
    Vijay Prashad
    Sanctions Against Venezuela Will Continue Under Biden
    18 Nov 2020
    There is every indication that a Biden administration will maintain the punitive sanctions against Venezuela, suffocating the country during the pandemic. 
  • Biden-Harris and the Diverse Faces of U.S. Imperialism
    Tye Salandy
    Biden-Harris and the Diverse Faces of U.S. Imperialism
    18 Nov 2020
    From Obama v McCain to Biden v Trump, the good cop/bad cop drama of US imperial politics, continues.
  • Don’t [Mourn] Celebrate, Organize!
    Riva Enteen
    Don’t [Mourn] Celebrate, Organize!
    18 Nov 2020
    The same “injustice” system that unlawfully locked up the Central Park Five will continue unabated with Biden and his “top cop” sidekick.
  • We’ll Have to Fight Corporate Democrats for Medicare for All
    Margaret Flowers
    ​​​​​​​We’ll Have to Fight Corporate Democrats for Medicare for All
    18 Nov 2020
    We must not allow the Democrats to weaken our demand that every person in the United States have access to the care they need.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us