The Real Question
Paul Laurence Dunbar 1872 (Dayton) – 1906
Folks is talkin' 'bout de money, 'bout de silvah an' de gold;
All de time de season 's changin' an' de days is gittin' cold.
An' dey 's wond'rin' 'bout de metals, whethah we'll have one er two.
While de price o' coal is risin' an' dey 's two months' rent dat 's due.
Some folks says dat gold 's de only money dat is wuff de name,
Den de othahs rise an' tell 'em dat dey ought to be ashame,
An' dat silvah is de only thing to save us f'om de powah
Of de gold-bug ragin' 'roun' an' seekin' who he may devowah.
Well, you folks kin keep on shoutin' wif yo' gold er silvah cry,
But I tell you people hams is sceerce an' fowls is roostin' high.
An' hit ain't de so't o' money dat is pesterin' my min',
But de question I want answehed 's how to get at any kin'!
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 11, 2023
- 48 sec read
- 55 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AABB CCBB DDEE |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic octameter |
Characters | 751 |
Words | 158 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4 |
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"The Real Question" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 2 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/28941/the-real-question>.
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