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Plantation echoes

Chapter 34: IT AM DE POSSUM TIME.
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.

IT AM DE POSSUM TIME.

Weddah gittin’ chilly,
Fros’ er fallin’ on de vine!
Leaves er tarnin’ yallah,
Now de possum time is fine!
Hickahnuts er fallin’,
Wid er thud, thud, thudd!
Poppin’ an’ er crackin’
An’ er bus’in out de bud!
It am de possum time!
Yes, it am de possum time!
It am de time er niggah
Fo’ de coon to go to clime!
Crickets all er hollah
Tell er niggah it’s de fall!
Ripenin’ am de ’simmons
Fo’ de great an’ fo’ de small!
Niggah jes’ er waitin’
Fo’ de fallin’ o’ de sno’,
Fo’ to chase de rabbit
Ez he’s wingin’ on de go!
It am de possum time!
Yes, it am de possum time!
It am de time er niggah
Fo’ de coon to go to clime!
When de sun’s dun sinkin’
Cums de shinin’ o’ de moon,
Niggah’ll take de wahpaf
Fo’ to go to tree de coon!
Wid de dogs er bahkin’
All er chasein’, all er romp!
Sniffin’ at de grasses
An’ er scratchin’ at de stump!
It am de possum time!
Yes, it am de possum time!
It am de time er niggah
Fo’ de coon to go to clime!