Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, PATRIOTISM AND A PENSION, by BENJAMIN FRANKLIN KING


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

PATRIOTISM AND A PENSION, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Ole fo'th ob july
Last Line: An' one jes' fo' comin' out alive.
Alternate Author Name(s): King, Ben
Subject(s): African Americans; Army - United States; Fourth Of July; Patriotism; Negroes; American Blacks; Independence Day


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.





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