Oh, poor Mae Ree Snell, she’s done gone away,
She would if she could, but she could not stay.
She had two peg legs and thick nappy hair.
Tongues wagged. Fingers pointed. Folks stopped. They’d stare.
She had them wood legs and a hacking cough,
But consumption wasn’t what carried her off.
A high yella' fella' from Waycross town,
Burt up them legs. Mae Ree stuck to the ground.
Them sticks he stroked; they spontan'ous combust!
Scared that man off, left Mae Ree in the dust.
All day Mae Ree tried. All night Mae Ree cried.
But stuck there she was; ’fore dayclean, she died.
Doctor Buzzard then, he called in his kin,
By high sun that day, Mae Ree flew away.
 |
Geechee/Gullah Oystermen, Lowcountry, Jawja |
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
First couplet based on an epitaph from Chumleigh Church, Devon, England.
“Dayclean” is a Gullah/Geechee term meaning “dawn.”
© Phil Comer
Disclaimer: Characters and events are none you or I know. If you think this doesn't totally suck, please Comment, Follow and click Like. Thanks!
Text is copyright material of the author. Painting by Ralph Parker, Student Vineville Academy of the Arts, Macon, GA, Paulette Winters, Principal, used by permission. Photo by Phil Comer. Vintage video linked to title: “Yonder Comes Day,” Georgia Sea Island Singers. Unless stated otherwise, links and artwork are for information and not the property of the author.
Posts
Geechee and Gullah are the same community descended from enslaved Africans along the Atlantic coast from North Carolina to Jacksonville, FL. Folks north of the Savannah River tend to call themselves "Gullah," those south, "Geechee." The Geechee/Gullah that I've known value hard work, education, and preservation of cultural lands. Remarkably, these folks have maintained their unique language and traditions into the 21st Century.
ReplyDelete