To DR. SHERMAN LEACH, Columbus, Ohio.
Was yo’ at de dance an’ ‘sepshun?
At siss Poodle’s Chewsday night?
Didn’t git no inbertayshun?
Sut’ly yo’ she didn’t slight!
‘Tis de troof ah tells yo’, Liza,
All de bes’ fo’ks in de town,
Multituded dah toegeddah,
Dey was dah fo’ miles eroun’.
Hain’t no stretchin’ ob de blanket,
All dem fo’ks was dress to def!
Not er tryin’ to be puzzumpshus,
Dis ol’ gal looked right herse’f!
Sukie Razzah, Tootsy Dewdrap,
Roxy Hurdle ‘ceived de gess,
Dat was ‘pozed ob tony dahkys
Fum de Norf, Souf, Eas’ an’ Wes’.
When dey stawted up de dancin’,
Roozlum Jacobs! Rome did howl!
Oh mah foddah! But yo’ oddah,
Seed ol’ prancin’ sistah Owl!
She’s jes’ layin’ back on dat dahky
Come fum Dixie hyar las’ June,
He’s de mugwump tried to make us,
Bleeb he was some ‘pawton coon.
Allus frowin’ out words jawbreakers,
Struttin’ tarnin’ up his nose,
Wiff dat great big bee gum hat on
An’ dem yaller striped cloze!
He was bowin’ an’ er scrapein’
At de women all de night!
Gibb de debbil his belongins’
Mus’ say he was mos’ perlite!
Mah ol’ man was jes’ er steppin’,
Wiff his sizzah tailor coat!
An’ dem yaller legged pantaloons,
Dey was loud ernuff to vote!
Oh his hyar was combd an’ pawt’d,
Looked ez slick ez winder glass!
An’ wiff bohgomo’ he’s ‘fewmed up,
An’ he’s nimble ez er bass!
When de fiddles struck de po’kah,
Umph! Ah koch’d ‘im by de wing!
Lif’ mah pickahdilly trailah,
Oh but how we bofe did swing!
Fus’ de slutein’ ob yo’ pawtners,
Den de hop skipp an’ de jump!
An’ some mo’ kerflootin’ tick tacks,
But we got dah ebbry plump!
Pawt de time dey was er mix up
An’ er rumpus on de flo’!
But de dahkys somehow managed
Fo’ to keep de ting er go!
Sich er huggin’ an’ er squeezin’!
Sich er bobbin’ up an’ down!
Pawt de time ah tootsy woot sees,
Wasn’t techin’ tall de groun’!
Jes’ we’s ’bout to spred de eagle,
Frisky doubtin’ Thomas Joe,
Got bofe foots mix’d up wiff Sambo’s
Fell an’ nahly broke his toe!
Jes’ de same he kep’ er tarnin’
Lak er piekerninny’s top!
Long’s de fiddles was er sawin’
Yo’ couldn’t make de dahky stop!
He was dancin’ in de middle,
Nex he’s shufflin’ neah de wall,
Doan’ kyar how dey bumpd ergin ‘im,
Dey couldn’ make de raskul fall!
Lawd! his foots dey mus’ hah measured,
Twenty inch fum heel to toe!
It didn’ make er bit er diffunce
Not er secon’ was he slo’!
When we quit to go to supper,
Sich er feas’ yo’ nebbah seed!
When ol’ Sukie gibb de signul,
Wished yo’d seed us take de lead!
Good by Liza! Lawd er mussy!
Ah mus’ go git dat washun out!
Fo’ dem white fo’ks, ef ah doan’
Dey’l crack dey whip an’ make me shout!
(Elliott Blaine Henderson)
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Based on Topics: Man Poems, Night PoemsBased on Keywords: mah, poodle, wes, groun, tony, mos, fum, sherman, fus, flo, herse