A Midnight Woman to the Bobby

No palm me up,^[1] you dutty brute,
You’ jam mout’ mash^[2] like ripe bread-fruit;
You fas’n now, but wait lee ya,^[3]
I’ll see you grunt under de law.

You t’ink you wise,^[4] but we wi’ see;
You not de fus’ one fas’ wid me;
I’ll lib fe see dem tu’n you out,
As sure as you got dat mash’ mout’.

I born right do’n beneat’ de clack^[5]
(You ugly brute, you tu’n you’ back?)
Don’ t’ink dat I’m a come-aroun’,^[6]
I born right ‘way in ‘panish Town.

Care how you try,^[7] you caan’ do mo’
Dan many dat was hyah befo’;
Yet whe’ dey all o’ dem te-day?^[8]
De buccra dem no kick dem ‘way?^[9]

Ko^[10] pon you’ jam samplatta^[11] nose:
‘Cos you wear Mis’r Koshaw clo’es^[12]
You fink say youts de only man,^[13]
Yet fus’ time^[14] ko how you be’n ‘tan’.^[15]

You big an’ ugly ole tu’n-foot^[16]
Be’n neber know fe wear a boot;
An’ chigger nyam you’ tumpa toe,^[17]
Till nit full i’ like herrin’ roe.

You come from mountain naked-‘kin,^[18]
An’ Lard a mussy! you be’n thin,
For all de bread-fruit dem be’n done,
Bein’ ‘poil’ up by de tearin’ sun:^[19]

De coco^[20] couldn’ bear at all,
For, Lard! de groun’ was pure white~marl;
An’ t’rough de rain part o’ de year^[21]
De mango tree dem couldn’ bear.

An’ when de pinch o’ time you feel
A ‘pur you a you’ chigger heel,^[22]
You lef you’ district, big an’ coarse,
An’ come join’^[23] buccra Police Force.

An’ now you don’t wait fe you’ glass,^[24]
But trouble me wid you’ jam fas’;^[25]
But wait, me frien’, you’ day wi’ come,
I’ll see you go same lak a some.^[26]

Say wha’? — ‘res’ me?^[27] — you go to hell!
You t’ink Judge don’t know unno well?^[28]
You t’ink him gwin’ go sentance^[29] me
Widout a soul fe witness i’?