Jaybird

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Title:     Jaybird
Author: Thomas W. Talley [More Titles by Talley]

De Jaybird jump from lim' to lim',
An' he tell Br'er Rabbit to do lak him.
Br'er Rabbit say to de cunnin' elf:
"You jes want me to fall an' kill myself."

Dat Jaybird a-settin' on a swingin' lim'.
He wink at me an' I wink at him.
He laugh at me w'en my gun "crack."
It kick me down on de flat o' my back.

Nex' day de Jaybird dance dat lim'.
I grabs my gun fer to shoot at him.
W'en I "crack" down, it split my chin.
"Ole Aggie Cunjer" fly lak sin.

Way down yon'er at de risin' sun,
Jaybird a-talkin' wid a forked tongue.
[8]He's been down dar whar de bad mens dwell.
"Ole Friday Devil," fare--you--well!

FOOTNOTE:
[8] A superstition. For explanation, see Study in Negro Folk Rhymes.

[The end]
Thomas W. Talley's poem: Jaybird

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