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Plantation echoes

Chapter 51: KEEP ER GOIN’.
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.

KEEP ER GOIN’.

Yo’ dat’s in de race o’ life,
Keep er goin’!
Nebah stop fo’ little strife,
Keep er goin’!
Sum one kick yo’ on de co’n,
Nuddah prick yo’ wid er thorn,
Toot loudah on yo’ horn,
Keep er goin’!
Ef yo’ sortah lose de track,
Keep er goin’!
Doan’ tarn fool an’ saunter back,
Keep er goin’!
Take no time to ax an’ ’quire,
Keep er headin’ fo’ de wire.
Push out in de mud an’ mire.
Keep er goin’!
Ef de road leads ’roun’ an’ ’roun’,
Keep er goin’!
Sumtimes up an’ sumtimes down,
Keep er goin’!
Ef yo’ fall an’ crack yo’ shin,
Git up, koch yo’ secun’ win’.
Spruce up, try de thing ergin.
Keep er goin’!