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

“No Matter What Sign You Are,”4th Supreme
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
16 Jan 2019
🖨️ Print Article
the supremes
The Supremes

Mary was mysterious,
but the best dancer
Diana, the magnetic,
cooing romancer—
But, here’s a secret I know:
cats like me dug Miss Flo—
And the 4th Supreme’s ‘fro!

The 4th Supreme came
Singing tones ‘tween
Douglass and Carmen McRae—
Malcolm X and Lady Day

The 4th Supreme came
Singing “Stop In The Name Of Love!”
by way of Brandeis/Bombing-ham—
hitting Dynamite Hill high notes

The 4th Supreme came
Singing “Reflections”
in silver bracelets, on a
Newsweek cover captioned:
“Red, Black and Wanted!”

Hoover hated her harmonies with millions…
But I heard, “Set me free, why don’t you, babe?”
Rocking me to “ …Try Something New:”
Dialectics…

 

The 4th Supreme came
Singing, “I Hear A Symphony—”
“No Matter What Sign You Are,”
in ’08—but I
forgive her and comrades
and friends for singing flat
Madison Avenue smash hits: “Yes,
we can and bottle Jim Jones Juice;”
“regime Change you can believe in—”
delivering “Nothing But Heartaches” to
Honduras, Libya, Syria, Mother Africa…

© 2018. Raymond Nat Turner, The Town Crier. All Rights Reserved.
Raymond Nat Turner, our poet in residence, is an accomplished performing artist. You can find much more of his work at http://upsurgejazz.com.

poetry

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


More Stories


  • Another June 1
    Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    Another June 1
    07 Jun 2023
    Another June 1
  • BAR Book Forum: Interview with Mukul Sharma
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Interview with Mukul Sharma
    07 Jun 2023
    This week’s featured scholar is Mukul Sharma. Sharma is Professor of Environmental Studies at Ashoka University. His article is “Caste, Environment Justice, and Intersectionality of Dalit–Black…
  • Not One Step Backwards! FBI Attacks the Black Liberation Movement…again. Drop the Charges NOW!
    Ekenge Mayele
    Not One Step Backwards! FBI Attacks the Black Liberation Movement…again. Drop the Charges NOW!
    07 Jun 2023
    The Black is Back Coalition issued this call to their 14th annual national conference to be held in St. Louis, Missouri on August 12 and 13.
  • Jamaica: the Rendezvous of Shame
    Isabelle Papillon
    Jamaica: the Rendezvous of Shame
    07 Jun 2023
    Since the summer 2021, after the assassination of Haiti’s de facto president, Jovenel Moïse, the U.S. and its western imperial partners have been trying to send armed foreign military to forcefully…
  • Cuba: "Defeat the Blockade Without Waiting For It to Be Lifted"
    Duane Stilwell
    Cuba: "Defeat the Blockade Without Waiting For It to Be Lifted"
    07 Jun 2023
    Joe Biden has intensified the relentless U.S. attacks on Cuba, with disastrous results for the people of that nation. But the Cuban people are determined to defeat the blockade regardless of U.S.…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us