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

State of the Union—or state of Capitalist decay?
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
12 Mar 2025
🖨️ Print Article
Donald Trump State of the Union
Photo: ABC News

“Every man for himself
and the devil take the hindmost.”

Something’s soothing, lobotomizing, about the snotty
Voice flooding from Fox-boxes. Something’s
Lobotomizing about an ignorant comedian coming to
Kill—but bombing—yet, still killing …

Something’s soothing about Jumping Jack Fascists—
Springing up at every absurd utterance and
Thunder of rattling rubbish. Their hand bones
Fracturing from clapping so damn loud—so long …

Something’s soothing about Jumping Jack Fascists
Springing up like they got the Holy Ghost! Fits of
Ecstasy applauding poor people used as props—
Mascots—human shields for class war’s unpopular policies

Something’s soothing about Jumping Jack Fascists
Springing up, sane-washing a lipsticked pig. And face-
Lifting lies about capitalism’s impossible promises to
The People …

Forked tongue tour de force— False from beginning to
End. 1hour, 40 minute Mussolini masterpiece. Il DOGE
Smashed Dr. Goebbels’ Guinness Book of Records for
Orwellian wizardry: misinformation/disinformation/1/2 truths/big lies.

Barren make believe desert. Echo chamber of hollow mockery—
Hypocrisy, humbuggery/thuggery, treachery, treason, truth-less-
Ness and alternative facts where up is down. Bad’s good. Worse
Is better. Woke's worrisome/and straw’s spun orange into fools gold …

Leaning in, listening to bosh-laden blizzards of fabrications—
Falsifications— bleached bone white lies—but not eating the
Dogma does cause trauma. Trauma of two car crashes;
Three boxing matches; And four NFL and hockey games …

Blitzkrieg! Warp speed war on the working-class—
Moving fast! Breaking things! Things shoe leather, steel spines,
Blood and grit won working people long, long ago.
Things we long to make more muscular, more robust. And for all …

© 2025. Raymond Nat Turner, The Town Crier. All Rights Reserved.

Raymond Nat Turner is a NYC poet; BAR's Poet-in-Residence; and founder/co-leader of the jazz-poetry ensemble UpSurge!NYC. You can Vote for his work at GoFundMe and PayPal.

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


More Stories


  • Liberal Russophobia and War Propaganda
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Liberal Russophobia and War Propaganda
    13 Apr 2022
    U.S. liberals are the worst perpetrators of Russophobic behavior. They are most likely to follow the dictates of corporate media and the democratic party and proudly take part in discriminatory acts…
  • GLEN FORD: Black Lives Matter Founder Launches Huge Project to Shrink Black Lives, 2019
    Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    GLEN FORD: Black Lives Matter Founder Launches Huge Project to Shrink Black Lives, 2019
    13 Apr 2022
    Glen Ford reminded us that Black liberation cannot be found over a cheese plate and mimosas in a $6 million southern California mansion.
  • Notes from Wartorn Ethiopia
    Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    Notes from Wartorn Ethiopia
    13 Apr 2022
    BAR Contributing Editor Ann Garrison reports from Ethiopia.
  • Who Will Hold the US/EU/NATO Accountable For Its Many War Crimes?
    Jacqueline Luqman
    Who Will Hold the US/EU/NATO Accountable For Its Many War Crimes?
    13 Apr 2022
    U.S. presidents and their NATO counterparts have committed war crimes all over the world. But they exempt themselves from prosecution, and use orporate media to act as their personal advocates.…
  • Francia Márquez Mina: the Triumph of a Pedagogy of the Oppressed in Progress
    Charo Mina Rojas
    Francia Márquez Mina: the Triumph of a Pedagogy of the Oppressed in Progress
    13 Apr 2022
    Francia Márquez Mina: the Triumph of a Pedagogy of the Oppressed in Progress
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us