10.30.2012

GOBLINS' ll Git Ya' if Ya' Doan Watch Out!

 *

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:

Aunty Belle said...

Boo!!

R.Powers said...

Ditto boo!

Buzz Kill said...

"Ef you" - in a achildren's [oem, really? Bwahahahaha

Happy Halloween to you southerners. Here in the hurricane ravaged north, Halloween is Friday.

Anonymous said...

Buzzk, Halloween is Tuesday, I reckon.

moi said...

Buzz! Been thinking about you, hope you're okay.

I'm over Halloween.

Jenny said...

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.

czar said...

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.

czar said...

PS to Aunty: More at Central KY. No need to respond; I know time is an issue.