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


  • EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says that calling Israel an apartheid state is anti-Semitic. 
    Ali Abunimah
    EU Says It’s Anti-Semitic to Call Israel an Apartheid State
    25 Jan 2023
    EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says that calling Israel an apartheid state is anti-Semitic.
  • Black Agenda Radio January 20, 2023
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio January 20, 2023
    20 Jan 2023
    The Biden administration provokes Russia in the Ukraine proxy war while simultaneously threatening China. Ken Roth was denied a Harvard fellowship due to mild criticism of Israel while he served as…
  • Biden's Dangerous Foreign Policy
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Biden's Dangerous Foreign Policy
    20 Jan 2023
    Dr. Gerald Horne joins us in a wide ranging discussion about the dangers of U.S. foreign policy. Joe Biden is waging a proxy war against Russia while also antagonizing China.
  • Palestine, Censorship, and Punishment
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Palestine, Censorship, and Punishment
    20 Jan 2023
    Ali Abunimah is Director of electronicantifada.net, an independent online news publication and educational resource focusing on Palestine. He is also the author of One Country and The Battle for…
  • Keith Davis, Jr. and Black Political Corruption
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Keith Davis, Jr. and Black Political Corruption
    18 Jan 2023
    Baltimore police continued to falsely accuse an innocent man when they shot and nearly killed him after the Freddie Gray uprisings. Prosecutors as always helped to carry out the dirty…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us