free-verse36 lines
George Washington
by William F. KirkYeorge Vashington ban honest man.
Ven dis har country first began,
Yeorge ban a yen'ral, and yu bet
Dese English fallers know it yet.
Ven he ban small, his fader say,
"Ef yu skol breng in vood to-day,
And feeding cow and chickens, tu,
Ay skol yust blow myself on yu."
Val, sure enuff, ven Yeorge du chore,
His fader hike for hardvare store,
And buy gude hatchet, only it
Ban second-hand a little bit.
Dar ban on edge some little dents,
It ban marked down to saxty cents.
He pay sax cents to sharpen axe,
And so it cost him saxty-sax.
He tak it home to Yeorgie, tu,
And say, "Ay ant ban fuling you."
Next day Yeorge tak dis hatchet out,
And start to rubber all about
For someteng he can chop, yu see,
And den he pipe nice cherry-tree.
"By Yudas! Dis ban soft!" say he.
"Ef dis har axe ban any gude,
Dis tree skol sune ban kindling vood."
So Yeorge give cherry-tree gude whack,
And sveng dis axe lak lumberyack;
And yust ven tree ban falling down,
His fader coming back from town.
Yeorge see old yent ban standing dar,
Smoking gude fifteen-cent cigar;
And so he say: "Val, holy yee!
Ay guess the yig ban op vith me.
Dear fader, AY chopped down dis tree!"
Dar ban gude moral har for youth:
Ven lie ban fulish, tal the truth!