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37.Oak Alley Plantation
In June,
At a broiling field ofsugar cane,
I hear the hard breathing of black slaves.
Occasionally, sounds of laughter can be heard
Coming from the mansion.
And the feast goes on till late at night.
In order to expel the bugs
A slave boy pulls a rope of punkah*
Till they finish the party.
He has sad eyes.
Oak trees keep their position
More than two hundred years.
Embracing the joys and sorrows of the black
slaves,
The branches of the oak tree extend out and
embrace the earth.
* The punkah is the shape of a fan and hangs from the
ceiling. 10-12 slave boys pull it during a feast to expel
bugs.
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