Ghostly Echoes of a Colliery's Past
The Ings showed the scars of a dust blooded past
The heavy air clouds came in way too fast
A pool outcrop showed a shining light
The air grew thin on the Ings that night
Noises were heard, movement of men underground
Rumbles under feet, voices all around
We stopped and stared, in fright, in fear
These noises, these rumbles should not be here?
Train whistles over moving wheels on tracks
Smoke filling the air, the flaming tower out back
Bustle, rumble, roar as boots hit this track
Men underground returning home and being replaced with fresh new backs
Whistling tunes heard along the main footpath
You could smell the past, taste it in your mouth.
Scraping boots create dust all along the track
A boys voice is heard after beating feet ran past
'Dad, dad, dad....mum's not well, please come back'
Their movement felt as they walked right past
The pool of water glowed then sparkling lights sprung out
The lights moved around us and then went back
The air grew strong, we could breathe deep at last
The heavy air clouds disappeared in an instant flash
We watched the glowing lights sink in the outcrop pool
The train noises ceased, an eerie silence settled down
The smell in the air grew fresh with new surrounding gorse
The track dust settled, now Tarmac faced, of course!
The Ings now settled to the calls of meadow pipets and skylarks
The blackbird song stopped as he watched the canaries fly right past!
We held hands and found a seat to sit and see
The hills and valley fields around the old colliery sat so beautifully
As we sat in silence, as we sat in peace
We saw owls fly around the flaming tower now overgrown with weeds
We heard a whistling tune from a man and saw a figure at the end of the main footpath
His whistling stopped suddenly and then he turned to face us many metres back
He stood and stared in his boots, coat, blackened face, flat cap.
He raised his hand to acknowledge we were there on his ground, on his track.
We both waved right back not blinking as we stared
Then in an instant he was gone as he vanished into the cool, summer air.
Copyright © A Yorkshire Poet | Year Posted 2016
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