Mah Mammy’s haid am whitah dan de snow
Dat falls so lightly on de rivah sho’;
Mah Mammy’s eyes am tiahed ob dis hyar life,
Dat’s full ob nuffin’ but dahk woe an’ strife;
Mah Mammy’s face an’ hands am shrinkin’ up,
De fiah ob trubbles dried ’em to a pulp;
But evah night she sits upon de stoop
An’ offen do Ah see huh eyelids droop,
W’en Uncle Ephraim plays his banjo song,
De ebenin’ froo an’ all de nightime long,
Daih’s teahs dats sweetah dan de sugahcane,
Daih’s teahs dat falls as gently as de rain;
An’ mammy sheds ’em when she heahs de chune,
Dat’s softah dan de moonlight in de June;
Kase w’en ole Uncle Eph an’ she war young
Dey went a spahkin’ whar de holly’s hung,
An’ at de sunset time gay Ephraim came,
An’ on his banjo praised huh honey name;
But daddy won huh heaht, an’ she took him,
An’ now w’en all de wohld am cold an’ dim,
She laks to heah de banjo ringin’ cleah,
She laks to heah de banjo song draw neah.
(Fenton Johnson)
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Based on Topics: Life Poems, Name PoemsBased on Keywords: mammy, ringin, daih, sho, nuffin, whar, evah, dey, fiah, chune, heah