A Grievance
Wen de snow ‘s a-fallin’An’ de win’ is col’.Mammy ‘mence a-callin’,Den she ‘mence to scol’,“Lucius Lishy Brackett,Don’t you go out do’s,Button up yo’ jacket,Les’n you ‘ll git froze.”
I sit at de windahLookin’ at de groun’,Nuffin nigh to hindah,Mammy ain’ erroun’;Wish ‘t she would n’ mek meSet down in dis chaih;Pshaw, it would n’t tek meLong to git some aih.
So I jump down nimbleEz a boy kin be,Dough I ‘s all a-trimbleFeahed some one ‘ll see;Bet in a half a minuteI fly out de do’An’ I ‘s knee-deep in it,Dat dah blessed snow.
Den I hyeah a pattahCome acrost de flo’.Den dey comes a clattahAt de cabin do’;An’ my mammy hollerSpoilin’ all my joy,“Come in f’om dat waller,Don’t I see you, boy?”
Wen de snow ‘s a-sievin’Down ez sof ez meal,Whut ‘s de use o’ livin’‘Cept you got de feelOf de stuff dat’s fallin’‘Roun’ an’ white an’ damp,‘Dout some one a-callin’,“Come in hyeah, you scamp!”