Poem by Benjamin Franklin King

The Yaller Jackets' Nest

If I could only wander back
   To boyhood jest one day,
So'st' I could have my chice agin
   Of games we used to play,
I'd let the kites an' marbles go,
   An' say, "Come on, boys! let's
All go out a-huntin' fer
   The yaller jackets' nest."

Jest to lay up in the shadder
   Of the fence once agin
Of the old vacant lot
   'At the cows pastured in,
Where the dandelions were bloomin',
   'N there take a rest,
While you listen to the music
   'Round the yaller jackets' nest.

There was one 'at allers went along
   An' romped with us 'n raced,
With her sun-bonnet a-hangin' back
   'N curls down to 'er waist,
In the checkered little frock she wore
   Of gingham,--what a pest
She was to us when huntin' fer
   The yaller jackets' nest.

It's the prime of the blossms
   'At's a-hangin' from the trees
An' the music of the buzzin'
   'At brings lonesome memories,
Fer it seems as if I heerd her say
   "You better look out, lest
They all swarm out and sting yeh
   From the yaller jackets' nest."

Sometimes I think I hear 'er voice
   An' see 'er eyes of blue,
That borried all their color from
   The sky 'at peeks at you
Between the clouds in summer
   After rain has fell an' blessed
The flowers an' openin' blossoms
   'Round the yaller jackets' nest. 

1. No Harm Done
2. Benton Harbor, Mich
3. Her Folks An' Hiz'n
4. How Often
5. The Flowers' Ball

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