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
šŸ–Øļø 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—

ā€˜Cause I wanna spread the news:

That if it trends this good gettin’ used

Come on, use me ā€˜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


  • Trump’s Looting of CITGO Punishes Low-Income People in Venezuela and US
    Yoav Elinevsky
    Trump’s Looting of CITGO Punishes Low-Income People in Venezuela and US
    21 Oct 2020
    The sanctions on Venezuela are also hurting some two million low-income Americans who used to receive free heating oil from CITGO.
  • Nigeria SARS Protests: Amnesty Warns of ā€œEscalating Attacksā€Ā 
    BBC staff
    Nigeria SARS Protests: Amnesty Warns of ā€œEscalating Attacksā€Ā 
    21 Oct 2020
    Protests mount against Africa’s most populous nation’s most feared police unit, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
  • A Public Letter to Mayor Lightfoot: A Call for Leadership
    byĀ Signatories from the Use of Force Community Working Group
    A Public Letter to Mayor Lightfoot: A Call for Leadership
    21 Oct 2020
    The Chicago Police Department’s new use-of-force policy input process is a sham, designed only to create the illusion of community engagement.
  • The NYPD Unleashes Its Most Brutal Cops On Protesters
    Ali Winston
    The NYPD Unleashes Its Most Brutal Cops On Protesters
    21 Oct 2020
    The police unit most likely to bust protesters’ heads is full of cops with long misconduct histories.
  •  Black Agenda Radio for Week of October 19, 2020
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley and Glen Ford
    Black Agenda Radio for Week of October 19, 2020
    19 Oct 2020
    Protests in Minneapolis Disrupted by Orange-Shirted ā€œCollaboratorsā€ with Cops
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us