Weddah Poem by Raymond Garfield Dandridge

It wuz cole, de snow dun drifted
Hi' roun' 'bout de ole barn do';
Dun blew thoo de cracks an' sifted
Lines ob white erpon de flo.'
An' de pines wuz bent an' groanin',
Lak dey c'u'den bear no mo';
An' de moanful win' wuz moanin',
Ez it nebbah moaned befo'.

On de ribbah, ice had frozen
Plum ercrost frum sho' to sho';
Jes ez if de Lawd had chosen
Dat it shoulden' run no mo'.
All de folks wuz tired an' weary,
Tired ob ice an' tired ob snow,
Tired ob seein' grey skies, dreary,
An' de murkahree belo'.

W'en et las', dat wretchit weddah
Friz its cruel se'f to deth,
Birds an' trees an' flowers, togeddah,
Bade us draw a natchel bref.
Bade us stroll off in de moonlight,
Wid May Jane or Emmie Lou,
On a pleasen,' bawmy June night,
Lak we all wuz wont to do.

Twuzen' long 'fo' dat fair June day
Turnt to Summah's sicknin' heat;
Wid de bode walks, long 'bout noon-day,
Hot ernuff to cook yore feet.
An' you'd meet sum one or uddah,
Drippin', wringin' wet wid sweat,
Or else, heah ob sum po' bruddah
Fallin' out or obah het.

Seems de weddah nebbah pleases,
W'en we hab it boilin' hot
We cry fo' de kine dat freezes,
Alwuz wantin' whut is not.
But it's cleah beyon' our fixin',
Bofe hab faults an' merits, too,
An' de Seasons dats betwixin'
Duzen las' de 'hole yeah thoo.