LITTLE ORPHANT ANNIE
by: James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916)
- INSCRIBED WITH ALL FAITH AND AFFECTION
- To all the little children: -- The happy ones; and sad
ones;
The sober and the silent ones; the boisterous and glad ones;
The good ones -- Yes, the good ones, too; and all the lovely bad ones. 
ITTLE Orphant Annie's come to
our house to stay,
- An' wash the cups an' saucers up, an' brush the crumbs away,
- An' shoo the chickens off the porch, an' dust the hearth, an' sweep,
- An' make the fire, an' bake the bread, an' earn her board-an'-keep;
- An' all us other childern, when the supper-things is done,
- We set around the kitchen fire an' has the mostest fun
- A-list'nin' to the witch-tales 'at Annie tells about,
- An' the Gobble-uns 'at gits you
- Ef you
- Don't
- Watch
- Out!
- Wunst they wuz a little boy wouldn't say his prayers,--
- An' when he went to bed at night, away up-stairs,
- His Mammy heerd him holler, an' his Daddy heerd him bawl,
- An' when they turn't the kivvers down, he wuzn't there at all!
- An' they seeked him in the rafter-room, an' cubby-hole, an' press,
- An' seeked him up the chimbly-flue, an' ever'-wheres, I guess;
- But all they ever found wuz thist his pants an' roundabout:--
- An' the Gobble-uns 'll git you
- Ef you
- Don't
- Watch
- Out!
- An' one time a little girl 'ud allus laugh an' grin,
- An' make fun of ever' one, an' all her blood-an'-kin;
- An' wunst, when they was "company," an' ole folks wuz there,
- She mocked 'em an' shocked 'em, an' said she didn't care!
- An' thist as she kicked her heels, an' turn't to run an' hide,
- They wuz two great big Black Things a-standin' by her side,
- An' they snatched her through the ceilin' 'fore she knowed what she's about!
- An' the Gobble-uns 'll git you
- Ef you
- Don't
- Watch
- Out!
- An' little Orphant Annie says, when the blaze is blue,
- An' the lamp-wick sputters, an' the wind goes woo-oo!
- An' you hear the crickets quit, an' the moon is gray,
- An' the lightnin'-bugs in dew is all squenched away,--
- You better mind yer parunts, an' yer teachurs fond an' dear,
- An' churish them 'at loves you, an' dry the orphant's tear,
- An' he'p the pore an' needy ones 'at clusters all about,
- Er the Gobble-uns 'll git you
- Ef you
- Don't
- Watch
- Out!
| "Little Orphant Annie" is reprinted from Complete Works. James Whitcomb Riley. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1916. |
8 comments:
Boo!!
Ditto boo!
"Ef you" - in a achildren's [oem, really? Bwahahahaha
Happy Halloween to you southerners. Here in the hurricane ravaged north, Halloween is Friday.
Buzzk, Halloween is Tuesday, I reckon.
Buzz! Been thinking about you, hope you're okay.
I'm over Halloween.
I'm more of a Day of the Dead kind of Gal at this age in my life, but this is still a very scary poem. My Father used to read this to us whenever the lights went out.
I am very impressed that the poet time traveled to the 21st century and modeled his verse after Aunty-speak.
All I remember from Halloween childhood is (you'll love this, Aunty) UNICEF boxes and learning very early on that masks and eyeglasses don't work well together.
PS to Aunty: More at Central KY. No need to respond; I know time is an issue.
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