The Miner
by Jacklynn MacKenzie |
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Glace Bay was a booming place,
Fifty years ago.
The pits were in full production
And families would contentment show -
Sitting around and talking
Beside their stoves and fireplaces aglow.
Aglow with the fuel from beneath the ocean deep -
Dug by many a miner, while his wife
and children were fast asleep -
Dreaming of better days to come,
When they could all enjoy
A vacation in the sun.
This would be a real treat;
For each day, after a meal they'd eat,
It was off with lunch can and headgear in tow,
Under the ocean again to go,
For another shift beginning before dawn,
Slaving with picks and shovels, all day long;
Sometimes not coming home till dark,
They seldom could play with their kids in the park.
A miner is a special breed,
With no fear of risking his life,
Because back at home,
Waiting to welcome him each day
Were his children and his loving wife.
He worked very hard to get his pay,
He'd sweat and slave day after day;
Making sure his family had clothes,
Food and shoes -
A miner sure had reason to sometimes
have the blues.
For Christmas time, he'd save many a dime
To buy that perfect Christmas treasure,
For his wife and his kids and other family kin,
His love you could never measure.
Now if I were a man and I had to go
Down under the ocean deep,
I'd panic and cry, and question why,
Especially when there were no windows
Through which I could peek.
When I go to the Miner's Museum,
I'm in awe of the pictures I see;
Faces with coal dust black,
Miners crawling on their knees,
With picks and shovels by their side
While ton after ton of coal they'd hack;
Working like bees within a hive,
Working together , side by side.
Oh, God I wonder where they got their might,
To dig and delve in that dungeon without light?
I have great respect for the miner's plight,
A breed they are with plenty of brains and brawn.
When it came to a cause dear their hearts -
They'd never give up, or never give in -
They'd fight for their rights, their whole life long!
Today it's not like years ago
When miners to the pits would go -
The government's closing mines left and right,
Families must endure such hardship and strife,
Moving away to places afar
Another job to find,
When the only thing they knew and loved
Was working in the mine
I am sorry you have to leave,
I wish you all the best,
Most of all I wish you all
Prosperity and happiness.
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| © 2004 Jacklynn MacKenzie |
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