African American Poetry: A Digital Anthology

Matthew D. Bennett, "Caanian" (1906)

Deah Dinah ain't you heahed de news 'bout dat ar culud man, 
Way up No'th, wot come' long, an' 'scivered Caanian lan'?
"Why lordy, Eph'm, I ain't heahed nuthin' kase ah'se not bin out;
G-o-n-e, Honey, an ' tell yoah Dinah, wot it am all 'bout."

You see, Dinah, way up yondah somewhars 'roun' 'bout New York town,
Why dar's a pow'ful trac ' o' lan' wot dis heah man's done foun',
An' ez he 'us heap mo' smart den seb'd cullud men would bin,
He tuk de chance to raise de fun's, an' den he sot rite in.

Yas, he bought up forty lev'n doz'n acres o' dat lan',
Now, Dinah, don't you think we'd bettah start soon ez we can?
Why dar'll be nuthin ' but cullud fo'ks fo ' to rule dat country thu';
My! dat beats Abe Linkum, Dinah, glory hallerlu!

Cullud preachers, cullud teachers, an' a big, fat cullud jedge,
Wid a gang o' cullud 'p'licemuns dat'll nebbah break de pledge;
Cullud juries sett'n 'round ' jes proud ez any Zah,
A- lis'nin' to dose lawyahs wot's a pleadin' at de bah.

"An' Eph'm, Honey, wlll a cullud Mayor hab de 'trollin' o' dat lan'?"
Ya, Dinah Deah, an ' dar'll be a liddle cullud ban';
An' strutt'n 'hind dat cullud ban', all up an ' down de hill,
Will be de lublies cullud gals, all drest up fit ter to kill.

Some a-coat'n, some a-spoat'n, oh! dem royal sons o' Ham,
Cullud sojer boys, Deah Dinah, toat'n flags o' Uncle Sam;
An' dey'll hab a cullud fiah 'trole, wid a big chief roustabout,
A-gittin' to de place jes 'bout de time de fiah am out.

Dahkeys running' 'lectic cahs, aflyin' froo de ahr. W-h-o-e-e!
Wid dair conductahs gwine' roun' a-leckin' up yoah fahr. W-h-o-e-e!
An' dey'll hab a Dahkey Constable, a-sett'n 'pon a stool,
A-seein' dat de fo'ks carries out de County's rule.

An' in dat lan' of co'n an' wine, 'cross on Long Islun' Soun’,
Wot lawyah Rufus Perry, he done struggled fo ' to foun',
Ah 'clar 'twill be a par dice fo' eny cullud man
Now, Dinah, don't you think we'd bettah start soon ez we can?"

Published in Colored American Magazine, March 1906
 

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