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


  • No to Foreign Military Intervention In Haiti! Yes, to Haitian Self-Determination!
    Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team
    No to Foreign Military Intervention In Haiti! Yes, to Haitian Self-Determination!
    19 Oct 2022
    The Haitian people are united in their opposition to occupations of their country. The U.S. and its Core Group allies are once again using the United Nations to legitimize their latest invasion…
  • Europe Under Control of the U.S. Mafia
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Europe Under Control of the U.S. Mafia
    19 Oct 2022
    Who benefits from the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines which connect Germany to natural gas in Russia? The U.S. has the means, motive, and opportunity and was publicly opposed to the…
  • POEM: There it is, Jayne Cortez, 2009
    Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    POEM: There it is, Jayne Cortez, 2009
    19 Oct 2022
    The late Jayne Cortez spits fire, reminding us of the need to fight, resist, organize, and unify to seize power. You should read her NOW.
  • Tulsi Gabbard May Have Left the Democratic Party, But She Isn’t Helping the Left
    Danny Haiphong, BAR Contributing Editor
    Tulsi Gabbard May Have Left the Democratic Party, But She Isn’t Helping the Left
    19 Oct 2022
    Tulsi Gabbard cultivated an image as an anti-war progressive, but her endorsement of Joe Biden, and support for conservative positions culminated in an exit from the democratic party which revealed…
  • We were L.A.—way before they…
    Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    We were L.A.—way before they…
    19 Oct 2022
    “Ignorance allied with power   is the most ferocious enemy   justice can have.”   —James Baldwin
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us