De People's Literary Poem by Maggie Pogue Johnson

Well, well, you's cum at las'—
Cum in and hab dis seat;
Walkin's sich a tiresom' tas'
I'll fix a bite to eat.
It's been a week o'mo'
Since I seed yo' lubely face;
En when I spied you at de do',
Wid all dat hat en lace,—
I said it sho' is Mandy Lee,
En my! but I was glad,
Till my po' heart did jump wid glee,
As do a little lad.
Tell me, honey, whar's you bin,
You sho' is lookin' sweet;
It seems as do de win'
Jis blowed you off de street.
What makes you keep a singin',
Why don't you answer me?
Yo' heart mus' be a ringin',
Songs dat's full ob glee.
'Now, hush, Aunt Lou, you's makin fun,
I ain't so awful fine,
But Jim West my heart has won,
En dis here am de sign.'
He's gwine out to-night,
To de People's Literary,
En tol' me look cle'n out ob sight
En not to act contrary.
Ef you lubs me, Mandy Lee,
Cum to de chu'ch to-night,
Lookin' purty as kin be,
Yo' eyes all shinin' bri't.
When I looks at you dat night,
Ef you greet me wid a smile,
You mean yo' lub is sho' alri't,
I'll be one happy chile.
So I jis dressed to-night fo' him,
Case he seems to lub me so,
I sholy do t'inks heaps ob him,
But hates to tell him so.
So I'se gwine out to-night
To sho' my lub is tru';
My heart is happy en so light,
I don't know what to do.
En dat People's Literary,
Am sumpin fine, fo' sho';
De chu'ch am always packed
Way back to the do',
En when dey sing dem songs
Yo' soul, it seems to rise,
Till you see de angel throngs
Way up in de skies.
En when dey calls de roll
Folks answer wid a speech,
'Twould tak' a 'mence big scroll
To sum up what dey teach.
Dey sings de nices' songs
You eber heahd befo',
I heahs dem all day long
As I goes from do' to do'.
Dey makes big speeches, too,
En dey soun' so bery high,
You'd t'ink dey's wrote by some one
Dwellin' in de sky.
I jis can't tak' de time
To tell de r'al good
Dese t'ings is on de min',
En specs I neber cud.
But dis People's Literary
I hopes may neber die;
En dat eben folks contra'y
Will strive to make a try.
I specs to larn to speak en sing,
En say big speeches, too,
To mak' dem chu'ch walls ring
Lik' chimin' bells anew.
En when de part is bro't in,
Mandy Lee's big name
Will shine among de res',
Ringin' out wid fame.
You sho' will laf, but taint no use,
I'll sho' be clos' behin'
When de People's Literary
Stars begin to shine.