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

For Fancy Miss Nancy
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
19 Dec 2018
🖨️ Print Article
Nancy Sue Wilson 1937-2018
Nancy Sue Wilson 1937-2018

Guess who I saw
today, black and white photo,
Marching, Montgomery from
Selma, ‘65?

Guess who I saw
at my high school swingin’ the
Trio; urging us to stay in school?

Guess who I,
was privileged to sequence
a later CD for, late one night?

…and you don’t know, you don’t know how
Glad I am that she
put the purr in whisper, with a sultry
Sound that could make subpoenas seem sensuous

…and you don’t know, you don’t know how
Glad I am that she
Appeared, sparkling, at the end of the
golden era—looking as good as she sounded—
Her face should grace
Buckeye State flags emblazoned
“There will never be another you…”

…and you don’t know, you don’t know how
Glad I am that she
Hovered earth— stunning hummingbird,
gorgeous humanitarian, giving the greatest
performance of her life, moments I loitered—
not seizing the time and asking, “When did
You leave heaven?”
Though, I think it was maybe ’37? I know she’s

Free Again…

© 2018. Raymond Nat Turner, The Town Crier. All Rights Reserved.

Raymond Nat Turner is an acclaimed poet and performing artist. You can find much more of his work at http://upsurgejazz.com.

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


More Stories


  • Pablo Meriguet
    Trump announces Guantánamo Bay base expansion to detain up to 30,000 migrants
    05 Feb 2025
    The project has caused indignation in Cuba, which claims sovereignty over the Guantánamo Base, occupied more than 100 years ago by the US military.
  • Toward the African Revolution
    The Lobito Corridor: US imperialism's latest plot against the Democratic Republic of Congo
    05 Feb 2025
    The Lobito Corridor is a key piece of infrastructure western powers are flooding with capital to pursue their imperialist aggression and exploitation of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
  • Fayha Shalash
    Buying the West Bank: Israel’s New Annexation Method ‘Catastrophic’
    05 Feb 2025
    Israel is accelerating its annexation of the West Bank through legal maneuvers that grant settlers direct ownership of Palestinian land.
  • Abdiel Rodríguez Reyes
    Panama: Self-Determination and National Popular Unity in the Face of Imperialist Irredentism
    05 Feb 2025
    President Donald Trump's recent antagonisms toward Panama have illustrated the need for the Panamanian people to build power through popular unity.
  • Black Agenda Radio
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio January 31, 2025
    31 Jan 2025
    In this week’s segment, we hear about a community forum that will discuss the need to organize in the wake of an acquittal in the 2023 killing of Jordan Neely in the New York City subway system.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us