“The music is the magic through a raging storm …”
— Abbey Lincoln
Play, Black Girl, play —
Play your piano, now
Come, now, let Sister-
Master show you how
Play, Black Girl, play —
Play your hot saxophone
On shoulders of giants
You don’t stand alone …
© 2026. 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.