Dirt and Pride

I watched them go to work each morning A kid growing up in the coal regions Remembering the dirt and the pride The self respect that came from earning The self reliance and the sense of community I never knew the need to knock on a door My dad’s keys were in the ignition of the old Ford Kids playing baseball with taped up baseballs Carpenter’s nail holding the bat together And eight gloves between seventeen kids Catcher didn’t need one Wednesday afternoons the miners filled the bars Sunday mornings they filled the churches I watched them coming home each late afternoon A kid growing up in the coal regions Remembering the dirt and the pride Blackened faces smiling Another rugged hard day in, walking proud Wrestle with the kids, family time The important things I watched them converging on a home A kid growing up in the coal regions Remembering the dirt and the pride Mining accident, covered dishes, neighbors One town, one neighborhood, one family A feeling of belonging, community, our town Clothes lines, party lines, coal mines The dirt and the pride. TAMAQUA.