“
He ain’t kissin’ yo’ mouf when he carry on over yuh lak dat. He’s kissin’ yo’ foot and ’tain’t in uh man tuh kiss foot long. Mouf kissin’ is on uh equal and dat’s natural but when dey got to bow down tuh love, dey soon straightens up.
”
”
Zora Neale Hurston (Their Eyes Were Watching God)
“
He turns to me, serious, grabs my wrist tight.
“What am I now? A Catholic priest you got to confess all of your sins to? If you start down that road, I got to reciprocate, and I ain’t so sure you can handle that. You want to know where this conversation will lead, my friend? A dead end, that’s where.
“Listen to me good, Barry. I have known you since 1947 when we was nippers. That’s sixty-four years, yuh hear? You and me has finally got a future to look forward to together, so let we not go digging up our past misdemeanors, right? Just sit back comfy and easy and listen to the one and only Miss Shirley Bassey and let we just enjoy the vibes, man, enjoy the vibes.
”
”
Bernardine Evaristo (Mr Loverman)
“
It’s bad bein’ strange niggers wid white folks. Everybody is aginst yuh.”
“Dat sho is de truth. De ones de white man know is nice colored folks. De ones he don’t know is bad niggers." Janie said this and laughed and Tea Cake laughed with her.
"Janie, Ah done watched it time and time again; each and every white man think he know all de GOOD darkies already. He don't need tuh know no mo'. So far as he's concerned, all dem he don't know oughta be tried and sentenced tuh six months behind the United States privy house at hard smellin'."
"How come de United States privy house, Tea Cake?"
"Well, you know Old Uncle Sam always do have de biggest and de best of everything.
”
”
Zora Neale Hurston (Their Eyes Were Watching God)
“
Well all right then. Since you own up you ain’t smart enough tuh find out whut Ah’m talkin’ ’bout, Ah’ll tell you. Whut is it dat keeps uh man from gettin’ burnt on uh red-hot stove—caution or nature?” “Shucks! Ah thought you had somethin’ hard tuh ast me. Walter kin tell yuh dat.” “If de conversation is too deep for yuh, how come yuh don’t tell me so, and hush up?
”
”
Zora Neale Hurston (Their Eyes Were Watching God)
“
You know what Mrs. Shure, the librarian, told me?” “What’s that, Theo?” his father asked.
“God does not make junk.”
Ted stared into his tumbler, the dwindling ice cubes sloshing at the bottom of the glass. His fidget finger tapped at the glass. Knocking the ice against the wall of the tumbler and turning his face upward, Ted looked at Theo.
“Therefore, I am not junk,” said Theo.
“Yuh.”
“And I came from you. You are not junk either, Dad. Just because you didn’t shoot a gun in France or just because you didn’t become an engineer, doesn’t mean you are any less than any other man. Dad, both you and I have made mistakes, but we are not junk.
”
”
Steven James Taylor (the dog)
“
done him in! Yuh deny it?" "Deny it?" Lance stared at the man, his eyes watchful. "Why, I never heard of Joe Wilkins,
”
”
Louis L'Amour (THE KILKENNY SAGA)
“
CHRISTMAS IN BARBADOS
I miss being in Barbados in December,
That is a time I always remember.
The smell of varnish on the wooden floors
and the smell of paint on the wooden doors.
The smell of cloves as the ham was baked
and the smell of the rum, in my mudda fruit cakes.
The smell of coconut as she baked de sweetbread
and the smell of the cloth as she made up de bed.
The sounds of "Moussa" as he played "Nat King Cole"
The sounds of "Lassie" as he played…"Coming in from de cold".
The hustling and the bustling of the Bajans buying Christmas gifts,
The sights of Taxis, giving Bajan Yankees a lift.
The barrels on top of the lorries and the vans,
The cases of sweet drinks and the baking pans
The young people in town buying a new Christmas dress,
The smell of hair that yuh mudda just press.
The crowds in de Supermarket buying up the rum,
And the music blasting, “Puh Rup a Pum Pum”.
I am usually glad when de New Year begins,.
A month later, "Courts and Manning come back fuh the things.
”
”
Charmaine J. Forde
“
Lawsy me!” exclaimed Mrs. Race, opening her mouth. “Yuh pore man! So you’re clean out’n your mind now. Yuh come right in and sit down. I’ll git yuh a cup o’ coffee. O’ course your wife ain’t here; but yuh come in an’ sit down. I’ll find her fer yuh after a while. I know where she is.” The old farmer’s eyes softened, and he entered.
”
”
Paul Negri (Great American Short Stories: Hawthorne, Poe, Cather, Melville, London, James, Crane, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Bierce, Twain & more (Dover Thrift Editions: Short Stories))
“
Wall, I’ll swan, Henry, yuh ain’t jokin’, are yuh?” said the solid Dodge, a pursy man, with a smooth, hard, red face. “It can’t be your wife yuh’re talkin’ about. She’s dead.” “Dead! Shucks!” retorted the demented Reifsneider. “She left me early this mornin’, while I was sleepin’. She allus got up to build the fire, but she’s gone now. We had a little spat last night, an’ I guess that’s the reason. But I guess I kin find her. She’s gone over to Matilda Race’s; that’s where she’s gone.” He started briskly up the road, leaving the amazed Dodge to stare in wonder after him.
”
”
Paul Negri (Great American Short Stories: Hawthorne, Poe, Cather, Melville, London, James, Crane, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Bierce, Twain & more (Dover Thrift Editions: Short Stories))