Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, DE WATAH MELLEN SPLOSHUN, by BENJAMIN FRANKLIN KING


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

DE WATAH MELLEN SPLOSHUN, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Dar's one fing dat hi wouldn't do
Last Line: Dat's shuah.
Alternate Author Name(s): King, Ben
Subject(s): African Americans; Watermelons; Negroes; American Blacks


DAR'S one fing dat Hi wouldn't do
Ef I had any common sense,
Go sneakin' up to massa's fence
An' steal a watah mellen fro.
Would you?

Hi kno' dat mos'ly fro de day
He's layin' out dar in de sun
Behin' dat haystack wid a gun.
Hit's loaded wid rock salt, an' say --
You jay!

Don't fool aroun' dem mellens dar,
Torpeders grow dar 'pon dat vine;
One busted las' night long 'bout nine,
An' lifted some po' niggah's har.
See hyar --

Hi saw de sploshun when it 'cur'd;
Hi saw dat coon a-flyin' hence
Off yondah ovah dat rail fence.
Of course, I wouldn't say a word.
I hyard

Dat mos' de fahmers 'tach'd a line
To mellens filled with dinahmite.
Yo' coons dat's gwine out dar to-night
Jes' scuse me; gase I'll stay behin'.
Now, min'!

You kno' Ole Birch, dat had one eye,
Dat always got to church so soon,
An' 'clar'd de eyarf went 'roun' de moon,
An' said dat jes' de reason why
De sky

In night time needed bettah light,
Was jes' 'cause wicked coons would steal
From ebbery watah mellen fiel',
But Gord would burn 'em up some night.
Dat's right.

He wasn't to de church to-day;
A bran new coon stood in de spot
An' set right whar he always sot.
He wasn't dar to shout an' pray,
Dat's what.

Hi doan s'pose none yo' niggahs hyard
De reason dat I laft in church
When some coon ast fo' Bruddah Birch.
'T was jes' las' night dat, 'pon my word,
De sploshun 'cur'd.

No, sah! Hit's neva gwine ter do
Fo' any coon wid common sense
To sneak up now to any fence
An' try to steal a mellen fro,
Dat's shuah.





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