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 Li'l Somethin' for Dick Gregory
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
31 Aug 2017
🖨️ Print Article
A Li'l Somethin' for Dick Gregory
A Li'l Somethin' for Dick Gregory

A Li'l Somethin' for Dick Gregory

by BAR poet in residence Raymond Nat Turner

Our white-bearded cannon
fell silent—
The day became grayer…
I know, I know, I know, I know…
He was my Mom’s favorite funnyman—
She bought his books, his vinyl
Speaking to her like Malcolm
(who she shared Turkish Coffee
with on his trips west, fishing for men)

I remember his mantra
He chanted like a Buddhist Priest:
“You youngsters got a lotta work to do…”
“You youngsters got a lotta work to do…”
Doubling us over,
splitting our sides, shaking our cores…

I remember his mantra
He chanted like a Buddhist Priest:
“You youngsters got a lotta work to do…”
“You youngsters got a lotta work to do…”
Piercing steel veils with X-ray vision
puncturing absurdities with barbed tongue—
Soul-ar powered bullshit detector
administering smell tests

I remember his mantra
He chanted like a Buddhist Priest:
“You youngsters got a lotta work to do…”
“You youngsters got a lotta work to do…”
while coming as close as we’ve come to
Having a Super Hero
putting his body
On the line running,
Marching, fasting, speaking,
Teaching us to follow
the money where the
bodies are buried…

Raymond Nat Turner © 2017 All Right Reserved

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


More Stories


  • Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    DNC: Deceptive Notorious Capitalism
    28 Aug 2024
    "DNC: Deceptive Notorious Capitalism" is the latest from BAR's Poet-in-Residence.
  • Anthony Karefa Rogers-Wright
    From Kente Cloths to Keffiyehs: The Legacy of Liberal Gaslighting Continues
    28 Aug 2024
    The Democratic Party's political strategy amounts to nothing more than doublespeak and a consistent denial of the reality we see before us. The DNC was a case study of how shameless the…
  • Black Alliance For Peace
    AFRICOM Watch Bulletin #53
    28 Aug 2024
    The Alliance of Sahel States is still developing but offers hope for Africans around the world. The growth of the confederation through trade and new alliances and the potential to officially…
  • Erica Caines
    Selective Democracy: U.S. Hegemony and Global Consequences
    28 Aug 2024
    The United States hides behind the facade of democracy to obscure the many contradictions of its domestic and foreign policy. The Democratic Party specifically peddles this lie about using democracy…
  • Julia Kassem
    The Uncommitted Movement is Uncommitted to Resistance, Committed to the Establishment!
    28 Aug 2024
    Uncommitted Movement leaders numerous times openly endorsed Harris, whose Zionist and equally genocidal track record and policies are clear and have been throughout her career.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us