Thirty-Three Miners

We watched the first trapped miner rise to light, and marveled at the cable and the wheel, how mountain might release essential night to rebirth, on TV – as good as real. We marveled at the cable and the wheel a world of nations rigged to save a man to rebirth, on TV as good as real, and 32 besides. The footage ran – a world of nations rigged to save a man. But eyes grow weary, we gave up the watch, and 32 besides. The footage ran without us, engineering notch by notch. Our eyes grew weary. We gave up the watch and went to bed with prayers for 32 without us. Engineering, notch by notch; a wife’s brave smile; the sleepless rescue crew – who’d go to bed, with prayers for 32, while mountains might let loose essential night? A wife’s brave smile, the sleepless rescue crew watching the last trapped miner rise to light.