(A lone voice whispers)
I leave this
Behind
My beloved painting by my old shaking hand
Now I'm ninety-three
For my children and grandchildren to see
For soon
I'll be with my wife and their mother
My beloved Annabel Lee
A painting so they can always remember
That I've climbed into all sorts of dirty pits
Starting many years ago
When Ma gave me my first snap box and sent me to work in late December
When at fourteen
I got one of my many work permits
And since that first day, I've scrubbed for hours
To clean my decent hard-working soul
To be healthy for my family before I went home
After spending all day and night
Just digging deep for black coal
I was born just before Gas was crowned as king and all generations went into the pit
Like all baptised to do so before us
If we were forced to admit it
Men and boys who we soon knew forever would be our kin
Going into the light or darkness to earn a few bob
Following all our own fathers and grandfathers
When our time too came
When they asked casually over breakfast
Are you, ready son
And we all replied over hot coffee with a silent nod
Remember me
My name was Samus O'Mally
From Gods Country
In County Donegal
Where we chased the mad black stuff like it was our lives bounty
Those courageous strong Irish men
Who like me
When we heard the call
Willingly sacrificed our brief lives
Chasing fools black gold
So all our families could eat and be insulated from all weather
But particularly the cold
Until it,
Black Coals Ghost
Finally stalked us down wherever we lived and hid like a wild hyena
Rewarding us with a fatal kiss for years of servitude and service
With a black medal in the lung called after something so tragic, I now know as emphysema
To then stand watching us all silently but bravely
Fight its deadly embrace as we all grew old
Coughing up blood like we were living in Hiroshima
Forever now just tainted like so many others
From brave fathers and mothers
For foolishly chasing the glories and stories linked with mining black gold
So their families could stay warm and conquer the cold
Copyright John Duffy
Image shared under fair usage policy via Pinterest.
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