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Mining Poetry by Joel Tankersley
Thought for the Day
The sun is not up,
coffee not on.
The stars they still dance,
daddy is gone.
Gone from our table,
empty a chair.
His pants lay there folded,
no one upstairs.
He went to the dig,
which means to the mine.
This time on dayshift,
how these roads wind.
How odd the day is,
when bright sunshine is black.
Daddy got killed,
and he's not coming back.
Was it a roof fall, that got him.
That outburst? The blast?
No rhyme and no reason,
might have been gas
Did the loader tip over,
was it the brakes?
What was it father,
what for gawd sakes?
Mother's in shock,
gropes for direction.
How was the cable,
in your part of the section?
How was the high wall?
The roadway was clear?
Did you preshift?
How did it steer?
Were all the guards on,
emergency cord?
Mom said a small head stone,
is what the VA affords?
Did you lock out the power?
Did the tag tell why?
How was the walkway,
icy or dry?
Did you not think?
Did you bully the task?
Were you too familiar
or too smart to ask?
Did your mind wander
and didn't check twice?
Was there a shortcut,
and the ultimate price?
Well, I see the suns is up,
it's coming on spring.
It will be a long summer,
that I will think back and dream.
I will dream of the good times,
life was all filled.
Gawd lordy gawd,
why did you get yourself killed?
We miss you.
Copyright Joel Tankersley
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