Black And Blue Poem by James Mills

Didn’t need no crime to set me rockin’
up here where
livin’ leaves
an' rough bark makes shade.
Can see my
cabin an’ the well I shovelled out
when they stopped the creek gettin’ this far.
Found it after twenny feet o’ diggin’,
muddy water sour as a widow’s laugh
that damn near made them greens haul
theyselves outta the brown dirt an’ hit the road-
so bitter it was. So bitter. ‘Twas me shoulda
gone but I’s greener than any of ‘em.

See them all a-puffin’ of their clays an’
spittin’. An’ li’l Joshua kickin’ dust
around his feet, sees no need fer any of it,
come along cos his daddy tol’ him
‘Boy you gotta see this. ‘Fore long you’ll
be growed an’ needin’ some ground to
call your own. Won’t be none if’n we
don’t weed it, boy. An’ that’s what we’re
gonna do – gonna weed our ground’.

Think I mighta bin twenny-two if
I coulda made it to ‘nother birthday.
Ain’t gonna happen though.
I hear ol' Blue a-pinin',
maybe they'll have call
fer a faithful friend.
Lord this land looks peaceful,
I think I see clear water,
yeah,
there's clear water up ahead.
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