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

A Poet's Proposal for DT's Inauguration
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
10 Jan 2017
🖨️ Print Article

by BAR poet in residence Raymond Nat Turner

Word is that president-elect Donald Trump still has performance openings for next week's inaugural. In the selfless and noble spirit of public service, our poet kindly offers his own services, and anxiously awaits a response from Rump tower.

A Poet's Proposal for DT's Inauguration

by BAR poet in residence Raymond Nat Turner

Bet you wonderin’ how I knew

Few are willin’ to perform for you?

I heard it through the grapevine

Also on TV, radio and online…

I ain’t A-list—

F-list, maybe?

Not a seven-figga n**** or War House Hoet in the

Retinue the Drone Ranger plays like plastic kazoos—

Yet, I’m willing to serve, sir:

Call it Patriot Act III!

Willing to audition, practice, rehearse—gratis—

get on the back of a Greyhound bus, brown bag,

greasy fried chicken, like the good ol’ days…

Apply a plastic smile, applaud on cue, shuffle, shake hands with

Strong-arm Williams, Sheriff Stephen Judas Clarke, Thom-ass

Clarence, and other warlike Bassackwards Tribal leaders

I’m willing to get William Withers with you, sir:

It’s my appointed duty

To let you use me

Get me in a crowd of right-wing racists and act real rude to me—

‘Cause I wanna spread the news:

That if it trends this good gettin’ used

Come on, use me ‘til you use me up—

My fifteen-minutes of FLAME!!

Raymond Nat Turner is an acclaimed poet and performance artist. Find 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


  • Kenyan Families Say U.S. Government Fueling “War on Terror” Disappearances and Killings, Demand Records
    Center for Constitutional Rights
    Kenyan Families Say U.S. Government Fueling “War on Terror” Disappearances and Killings, Demand Records
    24 Nov 2021
    Security forces trained by the CIA and the UK's MI6 use the "war on terror" as justification for killing and abducting Kenyans. In fact, the US/EU/NATO axis wage a war of te
  • Rittenhouse and Verdict Mania
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Rittenhouse and Verdict Mania
    23 Nov 2021
    Black people give great attention to certain court cases in hopes of receiving justice when the system is designed to be unjust.
  • The Delusional Commitment to the Doctrine of “Full Spectrum Dominance” is leading the U.S. and the World to Disaster
    ​​​​​​​ Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist
    The Delusional Commitment to the Doctrine of “Full Spectrum Dominance” is leading the U.S. and the World to Disaster
    23 Nov 2021
    U.S. actions around the world seem mysterious unless the commitment to white supremacist notions of domination is clearly understood.
  • In a 1982 interview, Queen Mother Audley Moore raps on imperialism, neocolonialism, emancipation, and reparations -- and the need for Black people to get in our “right mind” to understand our domination.
    Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    Interview: Queen Mother Moore, Westindian Digest, September 1982
    23 Nov 2021
    In a 1982 interview, Queen Mother Audley Moore raps on imperialism, neocolonialism, emancipation, and reparations -- and the need for Black people to get in our “right mind” to understand our d
  • Stop Confusing the Fight Against Racism with Neoliberalism
    Danny Haiphong, BAR Contributing Editor
    Stop Confusing the Fight Against Racism with Neoliberalism
    23 Nov 2021
    The electoral appeal of anti-Black racism is a constant in the U.S.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us