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
  • omnibus

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


  • BAR Abolition & Mutual Aid Spotlight: La Resistencia
    Dean Spade and Roberto Sirvent, BAR Contributors
    BAR Abolition & Mutual Aid Spotlight: La Resistencia
    22 Apr 2020
    Public pressure works. Some local entities are not willing to work with ICE anymore.
  • BAR Book Forum: Joshua Bennett’s “Being Property Once Myself”
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Joshua Bennett’s “Being Property Once Myself”
    22 Apr 2020
    Black thought is environmental thought and Black Studies is, at its core, an ecological critique. 
  • Wrong On Weed – Blacks And Marijuana Myths
    Linn Washington
    Wrong On Weed – Blacks And Marijuana Myths
    22 Apr 2020
    Black state lawmakers helped scuttle efforts to legalize marijuana in the Garden State and Black preachers have been huge impediments to legalization.
  • Truth and Propaganda About Coronavirus
    Vijay Prashad, Weiyan Zhu, and Du Xiaojun
    Truth and Propaganda About Coronavirus
    22 Apr 2020
    It is unclear if China could have done anything different as it faced an unknown virus.
  • Wall Street Fat Cats Back Challenger to AOC in Primary
    Lee Fang
    Wall Street Fat Cats Back Challenger to AOC in Primary
    22 Apr 2020
    Finance capitalists collected nearly $1 million in the first three months of the year to oust Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us