Page:Claude McKay Constab Ballads.djvu/19

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Bennie’s Departure

All dat week was cold an’ dreary,
An’ I worked wid heavy heart;
All my limbs were weak an’ weary,
When I knew that we would part;
An’ I thought of our first meeting
On dat pleasant day o’ June,
Of his kind an’ modest greeting
When we met dat afternoon;

Of de cáprice o’ de weader,
How de harsh rain fell dat day,
How we kissed de book togeder,
An’ our hearts were light an’ gay;
How we started homewards drivin’,
Last civilian drive in train;
How we half-feared de arrivin’,
Knowin’ we were not free again;

How we feared do’n to de layin’
By of our loved old-time dress,
An’ to each udder kept sayin’
All might be unhappiness;
How our lives be’n full o’ gladness,
Drillin’ wid hearts light an’ free;
How for days all would be sadness
When we quarrelled foolishly.


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