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
  • omnibus

Statues of Limitation
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
28 Sep 2022
🖨️ Print Article
Statues of Limitation
A flatbed truck carries a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from Market Street Park in Charlottesville. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Statues of Limitation

A German comrade
quipped, “When you
Come to Frankfurt
You’ll find bronze celebrating
Poets, painters, philosophers—
But you won’t find the
Führer’s face any place—
Bratwurst, beer and Jazz
in Berlin; but you’ll find
lime green leprechauns
before patinas of Goebbels,
and Goering glaring from
park and plaza pedestals…”

Italian bandmates chimed in,
“Come with us when we go home—
you won’t find Mussolini’s
mug in Milan, or Rome…”
And the Butoh dancer blurted
“And no Tojo in Tokyo!”

Why’d I softly reply,
“ Dixie—south of the
Canadian Border—sits
pock marked with 1,000
syphilitic statues of
Slavers, traitors, terrorists—“
Instead of screaming,
“Would you name your child
Jezebel Jackson,
Judas Jones,
Satan Smith, or
Sheriff Joe—
Would you call yourself
a nigger, bitch, or hoe?
Would you celebrate
Stonewall Jackson, or
Robert E. Lee—
Would you tell your Mother
You’re an SOB?”

Raymond Nat Turner © 2017 All Rights Reserved

Raymond Nat Turner is a NYC poet; BAR's Poet-in-Residence; and founder/co-leader of the jazz-poetry ensemble UpSurge!NYC. You can Vote for his work at: GoFundMe and PayPal.

confederate statues

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


More Stories


  • Too Black
    Unburdened by Palestine: Shedding Black liberalism for anti-imperialism
    04 Sep 2024
    Liberals are demanding that Black people in the U.S. put aside our long tradition of anti-imperialism to support Kamala Harris and sacrifice Palestine in the process.
  • Tamara Nassar
    Israel’s intensifying killing can’t defeat West Bank resistance
    04 Sep 2024
    Israel has increased its attacks in the West Bank as it pushes to expand its settlements and attempt to expel Palestinians from their lands.
  • Hanna Eid
    Review: Cabral Writings
    04 Sep 2024
    Amilcar Cabral's work and writings are still as relevant today as they were when he walked the earth. The struggle for liberation in Palestine and across the continent of Africa is still alive and…
  • Brasil de Fato
    Venezuela suffers national blackout, government denounces “sabotage” to electrical grid
    04 Sep 2024
    The outage began at 4 am on August 30 and affected several states in the country, including the capital Caracas.
  • Jemima Pierre
    Jemima Pierre, BAR Editor and Contributor
    Reclaiming the Narrative on HAITI with Dr. Jemima Pierre
    04 Sep 2024
    Dr. Jemima Pierre, BAR Editor and Contributor spoke to The Other Narrative about why Haiti is paying a price - 220 years after it won Independence from the jaws of colonizers. She discussed…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us