by Willie Moore
Folks go huntin’
’neath th’ harvest moon
T’ get meats f’r their “vittles”
-like possum ’nd coon,
They eat turtle soup, armadillo, dirty rice
shrimp-gumbo ’nd crawdad pies
It’s goulash, frog legs, alligator tail,
Wild goose, turkey, duck ’nd quail!
It’s the taste o’ budan (stuffed in chittlin’)
“Kansas City wrinkles,” ’nd dry-salt middlin’
(A streak o’ fat ’nd a streak o’ lean),
Fried, or boiled in a pot o’ greens,
It’s fresh pig feet, ’nd hog head cheese,
Smoked-jowl-boiled in black-eyed peas,
It’s rabbit stew f’r supper
If th’ fish won’t bite
-’nd “A chicken on Sunday
is a preacher’s delight!”
Now when supper’s over,
They move with haste,
‘cause it’s story tellin’ time...
’Roun’ the ol’ fireplace!
See a rockin’ chair a-stoppin’
(Y’u c’n hear a fallin’ pin)
There sits a little gray man
With beards on h’s chin:
-He’s th’ kind o’ Uncl’ Remus
-He’s th’ master o’ his art
-He’s creator o’ oration
-’nd th’ actor o’ each part!
He goes “Once upon a time…”As th’ tales begin
-It’s t’ giggle n’d t’ sigh
As ya listen t’ h’m “spin,”Y’ forget it’s ‘maginary
When h’s hands start floatin’
’nd conductin’ th’ response
O’ those a listenin’ an’ emotin’
-It’s silhouettes stilled
Afront th’ hearth,-Barefoot chillunSet f’r fear or mirth,
-Inchin’ closer t’ each other
While sittin’ on th’ floor
-gazin’ at th’ old man,
Glancin’ at th’ door.
Comes Aesop’s Fables –
Like th’ Turtle ’nd th’ Hare
Th’ Fox ’nd th’ Cock –
Now get ready for a scare!
It’s a bat zoomin’ down
Or th’ growlin’ grizzly bear -Or an angry “haint”
On th’ loose out there!
“Sshhh—something ‘s movin’ in th’ brush!
Fireflies hide, crickets hush!”
It’s t’ jump when th’ north wind
Whistles through th’ crack
‘caus y’y’r ‘fraid that th’ Booger-Man
‘s tippin’ ‘hind y’r back!
-It’s enough t’ make y’r hair
Stand straight up on ya head –
It’s t’ duck b’neath th’ cover
When ya hop into th’ bed!
It’s morals mixed with pleasant fright,
’nd ghosts still walk on a rainy night!
It’s vast retrospection
(T’ be used f’r prediction)
It’s a whole lot o’ facts –
Mixed in with th’ fiction
It’s t’ read th’ message between th’ lines
Before we make decisions
Discerning truths that at first glance
Escaped our normal vision
It’s a record o’ th’ past
(held fast in rhyme)
By poets, scribes, and sages
From way back when—t’ present time!
Th’ wisdom of the ages!
"This book was published by Rice University Press in 2008."