Best On Work And Workingearth Poems
It was the end of the line for the Van Dyke mine,
In this tiny northern town.
The final shift was ending,
They were going to shut her down.
The headframes lights dimmed a little,
As the generator started with a roar.
And the final group of miners,
Stepped through the elevators door.
Then suddenly from deep within,
The earth gave a mighty heave.
Their fates were sealed with the rocks above.
From this hell they would not leave.
Jim McClusky broke his back,
When the first rocks hit him hard.
Poor Jim was a wreck, for from deep in the deck,
He'd drawn the Jokers card.
You see, that far down below the ground,
The earth has a vise-like grip.
All it takes is the slightest nudge
To cause the scales to tip.
And then it came like some unseen pain,
That grabs a man by the balls.
It came from above, it came below,
It even came from the walls.
God has no wrath like that deadly gas,
That snatches your breath away.
As you try to pull that last lungfull
Your heart explodes they say.
That was long ago, but I remember it well.
Iwas part of the rescue crew.
We were'nt expecting any miracles,
But we thought we could save a few.
Only God knows what he has in store
For the men who search in the muck,
For that tiniest bit of colour.
That tiniest bit of luck.
Now the mines sealed up, the headframes gone.
But if you listen really hard,
You can hear the Devils laughter.
For you've drawn the Jokers card.