Kentucky Coal Mining 1930

KENTUCKY COAL MINING 1930 Behind me men deepening my gashes And a danger as always from gas flashes Ahead of me more seams wait for my cuts More years spent sick to the guts Rock rock everywhere and all is black Roof above me scraping my back A pile of work for which there is little thanks A mile of earth above held up by God and two planks And if it moves we become fossils like the coal For the mine boss’ll bury us body and soul The darkness is not just here in the coal seams But in how the coal miner’s life seems The endless darkness and heat is like hell Hopeless prisoners walled up in jail To digging a grave myself I resign This job is a merciless killer -- it’s mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Written by Sydney Peck Entered in Debbie Guzzi's Contest Down in the Dark Dungeon