Anonymous

Another poem I learned at Chakola occurred to me last night.  It was the word 'skelington' which popped in to my mind and the rest of the poem unfolded.  We were fortunate that, at Chakola, we had a couple of Londoners who could say the poem as it should be expressed.

BIBY'S EPITAPH

A muvver was barfin' 'er biby one night,
The youngest of ten and a tiny young mite,
The muvver was poor an' the biby was thin,
Only a skelington covered in skin;
The muvver turned rahnd for the soap off the rack,
She was but a moment, but when she turned back,
The biby was gorn; and in anguish she cried,
"Oh, where is my biby?" — The angels replied:

"Your biby 'as fell dahn the plug-'ole,
Your biby 'as gorn dahn the plug;
The poor little thing was so skinny an' thin
'E oughter been barfed in a jug;
Your biby is perfekly 'appy,
'E won't need a barf any more,
Your biby 'as fell dahn the plug-'ole,
Not lorst, but gorn before.

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