Faster, faster

Bo faster!

Gotta kep up

That girl gonna run us ragged

Gotta kep up

So pretty in that yella dress

and yella ribbon

Such a bother

with her runnin’

But we gotta kep up

I know she goin’ to the riva

Where else she gonna go?

Don’t know if she fixin’ to go or settle there

but, we gotta kep up to know fa sho

You smell her

I smell her

Brown and yella – with her full lips and chocolate twists

Like sun-dipped molasses

But movin’ faster

Sweat drippin’ down in my eyes,

my nose,

my mouth,

fallin’ somewhere on my boots

and rollin’ off the toe into to the ground

The main wet sticks to my chest –

stuck to my shirt.

It used to be white –

gotta be a different color now that it’s mixed.

I wanna touch it and see

but Bo’s finally listenin’.

He got us on the move

and I know we gonna catch her.

If we can just kep up with her time

Roundin’ the curve – can almost see the opening to the riva

Looks gentle and innocent –

not like it would hide her.

But it’s sneaky

and guards the ones it likes.

Right now, can’t be sho if it’s her friend or her foe.

What was she thinkin’?

Always walkin’ round lookin’ at the sky

instead a focusin’ on the work

like her momma always did

Sewin’, and lookin’, and thinkin’ and runnin’

That’s what it comes to

and here we are followin’, sweatin’, thinkin’, and runnin’, too.

She got it good

never wantin’ for food or clothes

or nothin’.

And, she’s gonna get it good, too.

As soon as we catch her

What they think the riva got?

Freedom

They don’t say, but that’s what they’re thinkin

I can see it in their eyes.

If they can just make it to the riva, they’ll be free.

Just don’t make no sense

There ain’t no freedom

They still what they is

Right Bo – can’t neva be free from that.

Just a little further, Bo

I see the sun meetin’ the water

almost in a perfect line

brown, yella, purple, pink

Reminds me of that girl –

that girl that got us chasin’ on a Sunday.

She didn’t think we’d catch up

She thought she’d get away in her yella dress

But, here we are – can see the full riva now

Ain’t no more runnin’ and hidin’

Didn’t want to get these boots wet

Maybe the water’ll wash some of this dirt off –

used to be a different color brown.

Can you smell her?

Why you stoppin’ Bo?

Fool dog, it’s only water

Ohhhh

Guess the riva was her friend – huh, Bo

Stupid girl

Stupid, runnin’, fool girl

Sho is a pretty dress, though.