A be-bop recitation from the 'Fifties

[Wilson Gray]

A Manhattan Fable
by
Babs Gonzales

About a deuce of long black-&-whites ago, a stud from the Natural
Lowlands made it to The Apple. He copped him a hame as a delivery cat
on Lenox Avenue. Everything was fine as wine until he cut into
Hollywood eyes. My man Eddie, he dug her all the way. But, after
lamping her quit the sceene daily in the King of Shorts, he figured
that he'd cool until his greens was long enough for him to sound her.
one bright, about a deuce of ticks, he laid his story on a Harlem
acquaintance named "Congolene Freddie." He pulled Freddy's coat about
his big eyes for the chick and how he'd pay any kind of dues to cop
some long greens. Freddie, being a post=graduate and a six-year New
York man, knew the pig when he saw it. So, he yessed the boob for a
few blacks and then laid down his spiel.

During the next set of sevens, Eddie was so gone over the three yards
that he hadlaying in the bin that he failed to dig Nab stashe behind
the scene while he paid his delivery dues.

After one semester of double deliveries, one for The Man and a deuce
for Congolene Freddie, Eddie lamped his bread and dug that he was now
ready to cool by the pad of the crazy chick in style. He thanked
Freddie for his pulling his coaat to the long green on the Apple
scene. But, he had to quit it now, as he had a inkling in the back of
his thinking cap that he'd better put a period tp delivering them
small packages for which he was gassed with huge lootie-bonds.

Freddie, he was cool. He had no hard feelings. And, to prove it, he
sounded Eddie for the serial to his crib, so he could lay a present on
him.

At exactly the Cinderella of chimes the next black, a
three-hundred-pound ofay cat rang Eddie's ding-dong and, after
flashing his badge of many numbers, he told Eddie that he was a real
lame Jones. But he wouldn't take him to the slams, as long as his
greens was long enough.

Eddie laid his grand on Nab, who stepped into his waiting cab and
split the bread down, a nickel note for him and a nickel note for his
buddy, Congolene Freddie.

So, Eddie was off the scene, his jeans was clean, and he didn't cop his quean.

A Manhattan fable.

[Depite the name, Babs, Gonzales was male.]

-Wilson Gray

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org