Notes About The Poem
An Old Shovel Contest - Sponsored by John Lawless
August 14, 2023
Shoveling Dirt
I watched the farmer do daily chores, year after year.
On hot days, those of snow, each morning he was here
before lavender light of dawn, he checked on his crops
tended to all the animals and fed the pigs their slops
Farmer Ben didn't talk a lot about what needed repairs
I'm just an old shovel, but I heard his humble prayers
We're old friends, so I sensed his worry and frustration
each time he clutched my handle, I felt Ben's desperation
There were times when only digging relieved his stress
and I helped him work off the concern he couldn't repress
We shoveled snow and broke up clods of the Earth's crust
Always taking care to clean me so I wouldn't start to rust
I'm gettin' kinda old. Been here thirty years, maybe more
Since Ben bought the farm, and me at the hardware store
I feel honored to hang on the highest hook on the wall
but didn't ever mind he used me to clean dung from a stall
Sometimes a gentle hand holds me in a garden of flowers
His missus keeps me busy in Spring, planting for hours
If a rock bed I hit while she went about with our spading,
she'd clear them with her hands, and the roots pervading
Don't know how much longer I'll be in working condition
but I'm not ready to be retired or put out of commission
When Ben needs me, from the wall he'll take me down
I'll always be ready and willing to help him break ground
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