I Celebrate Red Roses of Resistance

BAR Poet-in-Residence Raymond Nat Turner

30 Oct 2019

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I Celebrate Red Roses of Resistance

San Francisco singer sitting in a Manhattan
restaurant, ringlets trickling down ‘round
Angelic paper bag brown face, like sweat
gathering on her glass of white wine.
Her fries stand at attention, saluting
from stainless steel cylinder. Bold white
letters emblazon her tight-fitting black tee-shirt:

“IMPEACH
THE MOTHERFUCKER!”

I celebrate red roses of resistance—
tiniest spark in the dark…
bumper sticker, slogan, soundbite;
tiny tussle, or Good Fight. I rejoice at
friction—contradiction—more beautiful
than perfect…Embryonic class struggle…
Obeying revolution’s laws written in Russian,
Arabic, Creole, Chinese, Spanish, Farsi, French,
English and oceans of blood over Africa, Asia and
the Americas.
I celebrate them like
I celebrate red roses of resistance—
that pierced cracker Cotton Curtain
claims, “Our nigras were fine until
the Jews started coming down from
New York and stirring them up…”

I celebrate red roses of resistance—
Marching through melting ice, burning forests,
into teargas storms, truncheons, torture and its
elastic time…

I celebrate red roses of resistance—
Revolting warehouse workers, janitors,
truck drivers, bus drivers, carpenters.
Rebelling rubber, steel, auto, longshore,
fast food workers! Resisting teachers,
nurses, train operators, youth and students!

I celebrate red roses of resistance—
blooming behind bars, springing up from
solitary, baring concertina wire thorns!
Resistance rallying ‘round time clocks, water
coolers, rising from rivers, bursting forth from
fertile football fields!
Resistance rearing its beautiful head
in classrooms, concert halls, halls of
congress, pews, pulpits, side streets,
back alleys—the planet’s unlikeliest
nooks and crannies!

I celebrate red roses of resistance—
sprinkling spring water and compost,
grown folks’ faith in the masses; love
of the people—the 99%—making messy

History…

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

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Impeachment

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