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

My Wise Country Cousin on  Unca Jim Clyburn an de Sharp Rite Turn
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
11 Nov 2020
🖨️ Print Article
My Wise Country Cousin on  Unca Jim Clyburn an de Sharp Rite Turn
My Wise Country Cousin on  Unca Jim Clyburn an de Sharp Rite Turn

Son, it look lak Unca Jim say, “Las’ time I chek I’se de whip—
an’ got no time fo’ young Negroz wit all dey Blak Life lip…”
He say, “de Bibull  speak ob “spoilin’ de chile by sparin’ de rod!”
as he read de Riot Ak to whippasnappas ob ‘de Squad…’
“We rescued yo’ po’ asses frum Boss Tweet—de main dangur—
lak pullin’ Negroz feet frum fire ob W wit de Drone Rangur!”
We gib ‘de lef' movin’ space wit Ol’ Blak Schmo an’ Ladee Blu—
what else can me, Miss Nancy, Cap’n Steny an’ Tio Tomas do?

Jim say, “Git de foolishniss ob ‘Defun de Poleeze' out ob yo’ mouf—
lemme skool you, dat don’ cut no ice down here in de deep Souf…
I takes marchin’ ordurs frum Miss Nancy an’ Tio Tomas Perez—
dat don’ mean I do as dey do—dat mean dat I do as dey sez…”

Den Unca Jim axe, “What de mattur, y’all don’ lak my style?
Capitaliss Hill ‘bout de bizness ob reechin’ cross de ile…
Whoa, what’s wit  all de twistin’ ob yo’ faces up so strange
Ol’ Blak Schmo said, “Nuthin’ gon’ fundamentully change…”

Jim smile, “Enjoy de chikun wangs an’ bress; but quit smackin'—
Ol’ Blak Schmo tolt you on de $campain: he gud wit Frackin’…
Why, I’m  jus’ tellin’ y’all;  jus’ tryin’ my bes’ ta keep it real
Franklun, Clevelun, Chase is de DNC’s ‘Green New Deel…’”

Den, Ol’ Blak Schmo snap, “Quit all de ol’ Singul Payur talk—
‘Cause de ACA de only thang’ Ladee Blu an’ me  gon’ hawk…”
Unca Jim bark, “Nappy-headed foolishnus an’ naiveté showin’—
ebry thang Raytheon ain’t runnin’ belong to L-M— or to Boein’!”
© 2020. Raymond Nat Turner, The Town Crier. All Rights Reserved.

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

COMMENTS?

Please join the conversation on Black Agenda Report's Facebook page at http://facebook.com/blackagendareport

poetry

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


Related Stories

Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
Army of Artists (For My Friend Horace Silver)
17 December 2025
Harmony of a hug,Rhythm of a rose,Melody in the mirror
Editors, The Black Agenda Review
POEM: Poem for Walter Rodney, Edward Kamau Brathwaite, 1981  
11 June 2025
“any where or world where there is love there is the sky and its blue free
Editors, The Black Agenda Review
POEM: Reflections after the June 12th March of Disarmament, Sonia Sanchez, 1982
18 December 2024
“I have come to you tonite not just for the stoppage
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
Love My Black Job
11 September 2024
Love my Black Job— Black Student Union Job! Hired at L.A. City College As “The Peoples Poet!”
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
MrJoeSam’s Text Messages
12 June 2024
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR’s poet-in-residence, pays homage to San Francisco’s shipyard artist JoeSam who died peacefully on June 1, 2024, surroun
Editors, The Black Agenda Review
POEM: Enemy of the Sun, Samih al-Qasim, 1970
29 May 2024
Read against the terrible incineration of Rafah today, this poem of resistance and refusal, by Pa
Raymond Nat Turner
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
Dis-honest Broker
01 May 2024
"Dis-honest Broker" is the latest from BAR's Poet-in-Residence, recently performed at UpSurge!
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
Raymond Nat Turner at the UpSurge Jazz Celebration
03 April 2024
 
Image of Refaat Alareer sitting in a crowd of graduates
Editors, The Black Agenda Review
POEM: If I Must Die, Refaat Alareer, 2023
13 December 2023
Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer, a martyr of zionist state genocidal violence, has left us with a tale of resistance and hope.
Protest for Palestine at the White House
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
Trigger Warning
22 November 2023
Trigger Warning Palestine’s the Answer— What was the Question?

More Stories


  • BAR Radio Logo
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio June 12, 2026
    12 Jun 2026
    In this week’s segment, we discuss the Delaney Hall immigration jail in New Jersey. Detainees have been on hunger strike in protest of inhumane conditions, and protests and arrests have taken place…
  • Delaney Hall
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    The Delaney Hall Immigration Jail, U.S. Human Rights Abuses, and the World Cup
    12 Jun 2026
    Delaney Hall is an immigration jail located in Newark, New Jersey. It has been the focal point of protests ever since it reopened last year, with detainee escapes, a hunger strike, and further…
  • World Cup
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    The Black Alliance for Peace Calls for a Boycott of the World Cup
    12 Jun 2026
    The Black Alliance for Peace and other organizations have called for a boycott of the 2026 World Cup being held in the United States. Before any matches were played, the U.S. banned players, fans,…
  • Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    The Obama Center is a Monument to the More Effective Evil
    10 Jun 2026
    Barack Obama bailed out the banks, deported millions, and devastated nations and millions of people through wars of aggression. The $850 million Obama Center is a monument to his role as the "more…
  • Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    ESSAY: All the World’s a Ball, Eduardo Galeano, 1998
    10 Jun 2026
    “Professional soccer does everything to [destroy] that energy of happiness, but it survives in spite of all the spites.”
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us