OLE Fo'th ob July Am mighty close by, Kase I done smell powdah in de ahr; An' de beatin' ob de drums When de regiment comes Sort o' 'minds me ob de times in de wah. I was chief ob a division Dat furnished de pervision, An' I done looked wid pride on mah troops; I haid em so well drilled Dat none ob dem got killed -- Ouah bizness was inspectin' chicken coops. I was shot froo de lip, An' wounded in de hip, En fractuah'd mo' er less about de haid; At de trouble 'roun' Fo't Pickens I was skirmagin' fo' chickens, When mah foot slipt an' I fell off de shaid. Gen'l Sherman gib us right To forage mos' de night, So dat's why I'se trompin' on dis paig. I was out abductin' salt, When somebody hollahed "halt!" An' de fool up an' shot me in de laig. Jais what I want ter mension Is, I want increase ob pension, An' I make mah affidavit fo' de judge Dat I was in comman' When a shell bust in mah hand, An' fo' fohty-seben days I couldn't budge. I'll stop, en hol' mah peace, Ef I get a good increase; I want mah pension bill increased to five; Foh mah lip, en hip, an' hand, En mah haid, yo' unde'stan', An' one jes' fo' comin' out alive. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...EPISTLE TO MISS TERESA BLOUNT, ON HER LEAVING THE TOWN by ALEXANDER POPE THE LAW OF THE YUKON by ROBERT WILLIAM SERVICE SONGS OF LABOR: DEDICATION by JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER THE CASE OF ALBERT IRVING WILLIAMSON by FRANKLIN PIERCE ADAMS IN DEFENSE OF YOUTH by ROBBINS WOLCOTT BARSTOW BROADWAY IN THE OZARKS: NIGHT by BETTY CORBETT BASSETT |