ONCT erbout de hour uv midnight, stealin' chickens by de dim light Uv de moon dat shone widin de cracks erbout de hen-house door; Whilst dem chickens squawked en fluttered, suddently er yell I uttered, "Debbil's got me shore." I muttered, fur er rat trap on de floor Snapped my jaybird heel en helt it, den I started fur de door; Darkness dar, en nothin' more. Fur de moon giv' light no longer, but dat pain wuz gittin' stronger, En I tore eround dat hen-house, in de dark I'd los' de door; Suddently it swung wide open, en erfore er word wuz spoken, Ev'y j'int I had wuz broken, being yanked erbout de floor. Den dat white man to de lock-up marched me from his hen-house door— Jest fur stealin', nothin' more. In dat cell I still am sittin', chewin' en tobacco spittin', Honin' fur dem fat young pullets drapt erpon de hen-house floor; Killin' flies en 'skeeters shooin', O, dat trap wuz my undoin', Dragged me 'long de road to ruin, en my heel am stiff en sore. When dis nigger nex' goes stealin', he'll look out fur rat traps shore, En step on 'em—nebber more. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...BLIZZARD by WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS THE MEDAL; A SATIRE AGAINST SEDITION by JOHN DRYDEN TO ALTHEA, FROM PRISON by RICHARD LOVELACE A HINT FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE THIRD SATIRE OF JUVENAL by PHILIP AYRES POLYHYMNIA: SONNET TO LADY FALKLAND UPON HER GOING TO INTO IRELAND by WILLIAM BASSE |