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

I’m just a patsy; Don’t let me be patsy…
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
29 Mar 2017
🖨️ Print Article

by BAR poet in residence Raymond Nat Turner

Some are called for the job, while others are chosen. Some folks practice and study and audition, while others stumble into it blindly. Some are coerced and some more are prepped and primed and meticulously prepared for their few minutes of infamy...

I’m just a patsy; Don’t let me be patsy…

by BAR poet in residence Raymond Nat Turner

by BAR poet in residence Raymond Nat Turner

Some are called for the job, some others are chosen. Some folks study and auditiion, while others stumble into it blindly. Some are prepped anbd primed and meticulously prepared....

’m just a patsy; Don’t let me be patsy…

by BAR poet in residence Raymond Nat Turner

yes,
I
Plunged the
black blade 18”
into his brown back
repeatedly
and saw scarlet geysers spurt
familiarly

yes,
I
Traveled north to NYC
to kill black men

yes,
I
Hung with Hitlerites
in Germany
and learned to
Heil

yes,
I
Hunted rag-heads,
camel jockeys,
sand-niggers
in Afghanistan for
salary—
serving two tours
warring on terror
Perfecting
cold-blooded craft

yes,
I
was
broken
down
like legos
and built up like
an Aryan Supreme
erector set in boot camp,

yes,
I
could’ve
Killed
a bunch of
black men in
Uniform—or in
Baltimore—
had I roots there
but
I’m
just a
Patsy—
guinea pig—
like the Baltimore black boy who
Killed 2 Brooklyn cops
when Black Lives Matter
Marches
scorched streets, 170 cities

I
remember
where
Fort Detrick is
in Maryland,
but
I
have no idea
how
Neurotransmitters work;
how
Psychotropic drugs
Alter moods and
Change consciousness,

I
sought
Help
dealing with demons—
but
Demons
found funding for
dealing with me—
I’m
just a
Patsy,
don’t let me be a patsy:
Making Amerikkka great…,

Raymond Nat Turner © 2017 All Rights Reserved
Raymond Nat Turner is an acclaimed poet and performing artist.
Find much 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


  • Protest at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Austin Cole
    Black Graduate Student Association Statement in Solidarity with the MIT for Palestine Coalition
    15 Nov 2023
    Black graduate students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology wrote this statement in support of Palestinians and of their rights to speak and act freely.
  • Protest in Panama against Canadian mining company First Quantum Minerals
    AfroResistance
    Public Protests Persist in Panama: A Country Without a Colonial Enclave Mentality
    15 Nov 2023
    Panamanians are in protest against a contract granted to a Canadian Mining Company. Black communities are particularly impacted by environmental degradation and displacement caused by open-pit mining.
  • Kenyan police
    Communist Party of Kenya
    Kenyan Police in Haiti- A Betrayal of Principles and a Dance with Imperialism
    15 Nov 2023
    The Kenyan government now demands that the United Nations pay for the deployment of a police force to Haiti. But Black face imperialism is the problem, not negotiations over money.
  • Protesters in Tacoma, Washington block loading of an Israeli bound ship.
    Essam Elkorghli
    Labor and Resistance for Palestine
    15 Nov 2023
    Workers around the world can play a role in mobilizing action against the apartheid Israeli state.
  • Cover of “Experiments with Power”
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: J. Brent Crosson’s Book, “Experiments with Power”
    15 Nov 2023
    In this series, we ask acclaimed authors to answer five questions about their book. This week’s featured author is J. Brent Crosson. Crosson is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us