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Plantation echoes cover

Plantation echoes

Chapter 21: PEEPIN’ TH’EW DE HUSK.
By Elliott Blaine Henderson
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Poetry

About This Book

A short collection of poems written in a period phonetic dialect that evokes rural plantation life and folk-song rhythms. The pieces range from playful and humorous to plaintive and reflective, depicting work, home, music, seasonal change, and communal gatherings through repetition, colloquial idiom, and musical cadence. Many poems adopt a performative voice and narrative vignette form to capture local speech and sentiment. Several passages employ slang and stereotyped language rooted in their historical moment, which modern readers may find offensive.

PEEPIN’ TH’EW DE HUSK.

Dahky, doan’ worry,
Kaze de wintah’s dun gone!
Craps am all er sproutin’
Soon we’ll hab de sugah co’n!
Den we’ll roas’ an’ stew it
An’ we’ll fry it in de pan,
Th’ow de buttah on it
Nufin’ fineah in de lan’!
Hain’t er gwine to worry,
Needah make er bit o’ fuss!
Kaze de sugah co’n
Will soon be peepin’ th’ew de huss!
See de wattah milluns
How dey’s cumin’ on de vine!
Lawd er mussy, chillun,
Puts yo’ teef erpun de grine!
Mussen’ think er bout ’em,
Gits mah stummuck all er jump!
Hea’t er fas’ah beatin’
An’ er thumpin’! thump! thump!
Hain’t er gwine to worry,
Needah make er bit o’ fuss!
Kaze de sugah co’n
Will soon be peepin’ th’ew de huss!
When de wattah milluns
Git kervellopd on de vine,
Winkin’, peepin’ at yo’,
How er dahky’s eyes shine!
An’ yo’ buss’ ’em open
An’ yo’ see de blushin’ red,
Haben’ got er minute
Fo’ de bressins to be said!
Hain’t er gwine to worry,
Needah make er bit o’ fuss!
Kaze de sugah co’n
Will soon be peepin’ th’ew de huss!
Sun ’er creepin’ higher,
Am ’er gittin’ pow’ful hot!
Hoein’ an’ er weedin’
Am er dahky’s tufes’ lot!
To de hoe er stickin’
Till yo’ back jes’ ache an’ ache,
Sun er pohin’ on yo’
Makes er dahky nahly bake!
Hain’t er gwine to worry,
Needah make er bit o’ fuss!
Kaze de sugah co’n
Will soon be peepin’ th’ew de huss!
Mo’ yo’ keeps er hoein’
Fas’ah seems to gro’ de grass!
Dahky gits to thinkin’
Hoein’ time will ebbah las’!
Weedin’ an’ er hoein’
Ef er dahky was to stop,
Sho’ ez am de gospel
Wooden’ git er bit o’ crop!
Hain’t er gwine to worry,
Needah make er bit o’ fuss!
Kaze de sugah co’n
Will soon be peepin’ th’ew de huss!