When John o’ Dick comes a-courtin’,
We sit togither on t’ lang-settle;
John watches me, an’ I watch t’ kettle
Boilin’; I can say nowt to John
Save, when he arms me, ‘Noo, get on!’
Marry! I’m waffly* an’ tongue-tied
When John o’ Dick is by my side.
But evenings when I sit alane,
Hearkenin’ tap of sleet on t’ pane,
An’ whiles I darn or mend or knit,
Sich luvely speeches, bit by bit,
Like breet lunts* flicker through my mind,
Sich canty* speeches, douce an’ kind.
Maist lads would think I had no heart
Actin’ so menseless; I mun start
To be less moidered an’ less shy.
But Aa! It passes me foreby
My mind’s a blank, when John o’ Dick
Sits nigh me. Nay, I niver speak
Whenever he comes a-courtin’.
(Dorothy Una Ratcliffe)
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Based on Topics: Mind Poems, Speech PoemsBased on Keywords: breet, mun, douce, niver, darn, maist, canty, tongue-tied, sich, alane, actin