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


  • Congressional Black Caucus Continues Its Downward Spiral
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Congressional Black Caucus Continues Its Downward Spiral
    05 Oct 2022
    The Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference returned with dubious corporate sponsorships and obedience to the democratic party. Joe Biden received a warm welcome which is logical…
  • ESSAY: A Case of Mistaken Identity: Antihaitianismo in Dominican Culture, Ernesto Sagás, 1993
    Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    ESSAY: A Case of Mistaken Identity: Antihaitianismo in Dominican Culture, Ernesto Sagás, 1993
    05 Oct 2022
    On the history and origins of anti-Haitian sentiment in the Dominican Republic.
  • Combat Nihilism: Revolutionary Optimism in the Age of U.S. Imperial Decline
    Danny Haiphong, BAR Contributing Editor
    Combat Nihilism: Revolutionary Optimism in the Age of U.S. Imperial Decline
    05 Oct 2022
    Optimism would seem to be counter intuitive given the many crises facing millions of people in the U.S. and around the world. But optimism backed up by revolutionary thinking is just what is…
  • Brazil’s Haitian Training Ground
    Jemima Pierre, BAR Editor and Contributor
    Brazil’s Haitian Training Ground
    05 Oct 2022
    Brazil is setting up for a run-off election between right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro and “leftist” former President Lula da Silva.
  • For African Americans, Employing a Radical Internationalist Perspective is not a Luxury, But a Necessity
    Dr. Gerald Horne
    For African Americans, Employing a Radical Internationalist Perspective is not a Luxury, But a Necessity
    05 Oct 2022
    Black people in this country must reconnect with the internationalist tradition in order to understand the crises taking place around the world and in the U.S. Domestic and international…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us