This Wednesday in National Poetry Month
For
many American taxpayers, today is a day of woe.
While the federal income tax deadline was extended so procrastinators
had another chance, it is a Wednesday and we celebrate poetry!
Whoppers of Boss Tweet…
A thief
a thug
Clown in a rug
A tweet
deceit
A lie
a cheat—
Embellish, embroider:
a lying disorder…
A myth
a fable
a bit unstable
Flimflam, claptrap
bunkum—bull crap!
An empty wagon
a puffed up dragon…
A whopper
a fib
You peeped
from your crib!
A sham
a fake
a major ‘mistake—’
Pathological lying
false-flag flying…
A grope
a trope
Bad jokes
breaststrokes
A grope of the crotch—
another ‘man notch’
where they debauch
over water and scotch…
A trumped up story—
cock-and-bull glory
A foot in the mouth
for strategy south
Pie in the sky—
a barefaced lie
A pig in disguise
fooling some eyes…
Playing fast and loose
with Jim Jones Juice
A masquerade—
a Nazi parade
A fake ‘great nation’
same plantation
A bug in the hall
a fly on the wall
A great big whale
an ongoing tale
A parade in July
another big lie
A wink of an eye—
enough outcry?
A thief
a thug
Clown in a rug
A tweet
deceit
A lie
a cheat—
Time for feet
in the street
Sustaining…
…street heat!!
Poet’s note: Inspired by the great Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Waters
of March”
Copyright © 2017 by Raymond Nat Turner All Rights Reserved
(This poem was previously published at Black Agenda Report)
***
Sugar Hill Play-date v. Oz-low Piece
Process
3 ft exclamation point,
doesn’t cringe at loud
sounds or
pee his bed behind
nightmares.
Camryn, my three
year-old Sugar
Hill neighbor’s an “Old
soul.”
I’m honored that he
refers to
me as, “My friend,
Raymond.”
Camryn's mommy’s a
surgeon, studying
for her boards. His
granny’s a history
professor, writing
another book. So, I’m
Awarded a Camryn
playdate…
Camryn has every
truck ever made—
and knows precisely each
truck’s function.
He teaches Truck101to
anyone in earshot.
He warns work will not begin
before his
bright, yellow hardhat’s
jammed over jet
black curls. He buckles
his tool belt low and
tight. He’s studied
styles and moves of the
Working-class; has them
down pat.
Camryn creates tasks for
each truck, then
Schools me on how the
crane of one truck works.
He doesn’t trust me with
the trucks.
Blessed, he believes
mommy and granny will
Protect him from scary
things; feed and
Hydrate him after he
plays hard; read
and sing sleepy-time
lullabies, enforcing
Peaceful naps as the
Sandman invades…
So, I spare Camryn
Fractured Fairytales of
Ambulances twisted into
burning, bloody metal
hulks; pieces of cloth,
shoes, drivers and assistants.
I spare him Fractured
Fairytales from Oz—
Natives driving zig-zag
routes ‘round a
Frankenstein scar
dissecting their homeland;
Land where his trucks
would have different
Color license plates and
stop at checkpoints
manned by teenaged thugs
eager to cast lead…
Traveling Oz by truck,
Camryn might see Caterpillars
crunching toys, houses,
olive trees, crushing dreams;
He might see fools
flying featherless birds shitting
shrapnel and white fire.
He might hear overloaded
donkey carts squealing,
Moaning like Mothers of
itty-bitty, bloody bodies
piled on them—bodies
later stuffed in ice cream freezers,
to slow their rotting;
bodies so shredded, even Camryn's
surgeon mommy—couldn’t
put their tiny arms, legs and
Heads back together
again…
I spare my friend
Fractured Fairytales: crushing trucks
like his…
***
 |
| Raymond Nat Turner (photo provided) |
Raymond Nat Turner is a NYC poet
privileged to have read at the Harriet Tubman Centennial Symposium in Auburn,
NY where he is considered a “special son.”
Raymond has conducted a poetry workshop at Auburn High School in
association with the Booker T. Washington Community Center; read at an aaduna
fundraiser in Auburn, as well as Harlem, and has personally visited Auburn.
Turner is the artistic director of the stalwart JazzPoetry Ensemble, UpSurge
and has appeared at numerous festivals and venues including the Monterey Jazz
Festival and Panafest in Ghana, West Africa. Currently, he is Poet-in-Residence
at Black Agenda Report. Turner has opened for such people as James Baldwin,
People’s Advocate Cynthia McKinney, radical sportswriter Dave Zirin and CA
Congresswoman Barbara Lee following her lone vote against attacking
Afghanistan. He describes himself as follows,
I’m a Cultural Worker and not fond of the idea of having a 'brand.' Though one 92 year-old NYC colleague calls me the "Town Crier. “I think in terms of creating content in service of struggle for social change; telling the truth as I understand it...sometimes it resonates.
I’m a Cultural Worker and not fond of the idea of having a 'brand.' Though one 92 year-old NYC colleague calls me the "Town Crier. “I think in terms of creating content in service of struggle for social change; telling the truth as I understand it...sometimes it resonates.
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His poetry takes me to another place in time!
ReplyDeleteSo proud of you, my creative life partner, RNT! A blessing to share National Poetry Month and Jazz Appreciation Month with you these, um, 28+ years...xxoo
ReplyDeleteRaymond Nat Turner, friend and muse in the world that needs a speaker for human rights. GO - GO and bring us more!
ReplyDelete