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

Malcolm X Tic-Tac-Toe in the Age of…Austerity?
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
28 May 2013
🖨️ Print Article

by Raymond Nat Turner

Tic-Tac-Toe, X versus O

Shrewd black buck dancer

O a cancer— X an answer

 

Malcolm X Tic-Tac-Toe in the Age of…Austerity?

by Raymond Nat Turner

 

Vertical, diagonal, horizontal moves

Of Malcolm X, martyr, giant, live on

Like simple grid, paper and pencil games

Of Noughts and Crosses, 3-in-a-row—

Tic-Tac-Toe in the age of… Austerity

 

X, like exciting, expanding, extending,

X, like exalting, exemplary, example,

Excelling, exceeding— revolutionary as

Exponential, unlimited—far as you dare!

 

O, as in hollow, phony, posture, nothing!

O as diversion, like COINTELPRO, Psy-

Op or false consciousness like blue-collar

Workers masquerading as middle-class!

 

3-in-a-row, X versus O

Tic-Tac-Toe, X versus O

Shrewd black buck dancer

O a cancer— X an answer!

 

Africom boots on the Congo

Banksters bagging big dough

Mother Africa their hoe

A peculiar quid pro quo

Slaves cheering status quo

Their beer full of GMO—

Madison Avenue mojo!

 

3-in-a-row, X versus O

Tic-Tac-Toe, X versus O

Shrewd black buck dancer

O a cancer— X an answer!

 

Negroz go pianissimo

Fiery X’s blocked by O,

Rich white house Negro,

Attorney Generalissimo

Super of Guantanamo

Teachers rise against O

Working-class Tic-Tac-Toe!

 

3-in-a-row, X versus O

Tic-Tac-Toe, X versus O

Shrewd black buck dancer

O a cancer— X an answer!

 

Raymond Nat Turner can be contacted at upsurgejazz.com.

 

Raymond Nat Turner © 2013 All Rights Reserved

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


More Stories


  • Danny Shaw
    Columbia Students vs The State
    15 May 2024
    Columbia alumnus, former professor, and organizer, Danny Shaw, recounts his experience at the Columbia University Gaza Solidarity Encampment organizing with students.
  • Krys Cerisier
    South Africa’s Case Against Israel and the (Il)Legitimacy of World Governance
    15 May 2024
    The U.S. and the West as a whole maintain dominance over the Global South through their control of international institutions they wield as a weapon against nations who attempt to move from…
  • Black Alliance For Peace
    The Mask is Off: The Hideous Connections Between Zionism, Colonialism, Capitalism and Genocide
    15 May 2024
    The enemies of humanity are revealing themselves. It is up to the movement to rise to the occasion and deepen the analysis of the forces at play.
  • Marie Laurette Numa
    US Appointed Haitian Transitional Council Calls for Foreign Military Intervention
    15 May 2024
    The West is continuing to push through the occupation of Haiti, otherwise known as the Multinational Security Support Mission, using the Presidential Transitional Council as cover.
  • Shawn Musgrave
    Even Biden’s Lawyers are Urging the White House to Change Course on Gaza
    15 May 2024
    An open letter from government attorneys questions the legal cover for arms transfers to Israel.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us