Amelia A. Allen-Ray

Orangeburg, South Carolina, USA

Roots Of A Tree

Life's full of complexities, never knowing how or fully understanding
the reasons for mere existence. There must be a purpose.
sh!-sh! hush I tell ya, don't say a wurd, membah naw, id whut'n me who tole.
all I know iz whut dey tell me, an' dey tell me de gal had dat chile
ova 30 yez ole', an' a prittie lil' thang yeh, as prittie as can be.
naw whay he be, I don' know. say he took 'um a wife, lef long time ago.
whut I du know iz, whuts done iz done. babie jane bone, claim de
granmammy, an whut she nuw.
naw de bed been laid in an' id done maid, an' de stakes stackd high,
a prittie price been paid.
but id ain' nut'n nuw, dis stuff heh so ole' as gole, membah de storie
tole back in Beulah, up de hill on massa Kendrik's ole' place, fo' our
airs wuz free. massa, de missus, an' de in law maid tree, dats haw babie lou got tu be.
but id don' much maddah no mo', cept'n doez who care tu know. cuz anutha
seed been planit, an' de root done sprawdid intu a beaudiful flawless tree. done blossum intu full matuidy. du tu de impahfeckon of ids
nadive kin, an' dats de nakid truth.
an' de tree haz rizen an' id shall rize agin' an' agin'. az long az Gawd be
ids creadah. cuz widout Gawd de Fawtha, no man, no lan', no islan',
an' no seed tu plant a tree, wud eva eggzis tu be.
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