The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar/Expectation

by Paul Laurence Dunbar

EXPECTATION

 
You 'll be wonderin' whut 's de reason
  I 's a grinnin' all de time,
An' I guess you t'ink my sperits
  Mus' be feelin' mighty prime.
Well, I 'fess up, I is tickled
  As a puppy at his paws.
But you need n't think I's crazy,
  I ain' laffin' 'dout a cause.

You's a wonderin' too, I reckon,
  Why I does n't seem to eat,
An' I notice you a lookin'
  Lak you felt completely beat
When I 'fuse to tek de bacon,
  An' don' settle on de ham.
Don' you feel no feah erbout me,
  Jes' keep eatin', an' be ca'm.

Fu' I's waitin' an' I's watchin'
  'Bout a little t'ing I see—
D' othah night I's out a walkin'
  An' I passed a 'simmon tree.
Now I's whettin' up my hongry,
  An' I's laffin' fit to kill,
Fu' de fros' done turned de 'simmons,
  An' de possum 's eat his fill.

He done go'ged hisse'f owdacious,
  An' he stayin' by de tree!
Don' you know, ol' Mistah Possum
  Dat you gittin' fat fu' me?
'T ain't no use to try to 'spute it,
  'Case I knows you's gittin' sweet
Wif dat 'simmon flavoh thoo you,
  So I's waitin' fu' yo' meat.

An' some ebenin' me an Towsah
  Gwine to come an' mek a call,
We jes' drap in onexpected
  Fu' to shek yo' han', dat's all.
Oh, I knows dat you 'll be tickled,
  Seems lak I kin see you smile,
So pu'haps I mought pu'suade you
  Fu' to visit us a while.