Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, LITTLE JUDE, by BENJAMIN FRANKLIN KING


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

LITTLE JUDE, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Po' little jude, why doan' yo' know
Last Line: Fo'get dat day.
Alternate Author Name(s): King, Ben
Subject(s): Babies; Death - Mothers; Infants; Dead, The


PO' little Jude, why, doan' yo' know
Dat little chile? A yeah ago
Her muddah died. I reckon now
'Twais jais las' spring I' se tellin' yo'
'Bout little Jude.

Po' little waif indeed she war;
An' how she cried, jes' out de crib
Dat baby war an' her muddah died.
Could walk an' run an' jabbah some,
Dat little Jude. Hit make me cry,
Tale yo' hit do, jes' when I tink
'Bout little Jude.

De fun'al day she war asleep,
Tuckt in de crib, dat little chile
Had on her bib -- dat orfin Jude.
De mo'ners come; an' when dey pray
Dat little Jude waked up an' say:
"Mammie! Mammie!" jes' dat way.
Nobody know jes' what to do
Wid little Jude.

She cry so ha'd dey lif' her down;
F'om room to room she toddled roun'
A-cryin': "Mammie! come an' take
Yo' little Judy dat's awake --
Yo' little Judy's wide awake."
My lan'! de teahs come in my eyes!
But when she foun' her own high chaih,
Dat had been hid an' pushed it up
'Long side ob whah her muddah was,
An' den climbed up an' pounded on
De coffin-lid, I couldn't stan'
De awful grief -- de sobs an' teahs --
An' little Jude, a-lookin' roun'
Foh one dat now at las' she's foun' --
While, chile I kain't -- I nevah will
Fo'get dat day.





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