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Open Poetry #48
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Whistling at work
| Open Poetry #48 |
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Whistling at work |
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OLIAS Senior Member
since 2000-06-20
Posts 1090Pearl city Iowa 
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The piece makers ( apologies to Mr Joel ) Four thirty a.m. on a Saturday, the usual crowd shuffles in, there's an old man queuing beside me, to work on the line, once again. He says son you know work it is killing me, leeching me body and soul. I don't think I was meant, nor my life to be spent, digging another mans hole. Well make us a piece Mr pieces man, make us a piece "letter A". As far as we see, its the best you will be, come on! Do what you do, every day La dee da dee dee da da...... Now Bill he's a star of the company, works himself into the grave, Wife and kids never see him, cause the firm wouldn't free him, they'll catch him at the cemetery. Now Jan she's a bit of a quandary, cause nobody knows why she's here. Dropped in for directions, to buy some confections, and now she's been here thirty year! Twelve thirty p.m. on a Saturday, we all stagger out of the "pound" Our shift it is over, we're rolling in clover, 'till Monday at six rolls around. La dee da dee dee da da....... Is this heaven? |
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| © Copyright 2013 Mick Yates - All Rights Reserved | |||
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OwlSA Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347Durban, South Africa |
Enjoyed your poem and its narrative (I love ballads) and music, Mick. I had to look up the musical references, but didn’t read through them for lack of time. I was a bit confuzzled, with some of the detail of your poem – but it seems to me that it was about grave-diggers digging graves and the grave digger’s office (presumably where Jan works) and a clock-in line. I don’t get the “piece” and the Letter A – unless it’s a reference to The Scarlet Letter - although at times I thought a piece is a grave - or perhaps it is a gravestone. You are a good story-teller and I can imagine you singing your ballads to a rapt audience and playing on the guitar in your profile photo. Owl |
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Victoria
since 2000-08-12
Posts 5869 |
I love Billy Joel and I just watched a biography about him the other night. As I was reading I could hear him singing the words. Good one Olias. Enjoyed.  ~Victoria Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes. |
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OLIAS Senior Member
since 2000-06-20
Posts 1090Pearl city Iowa |
Thank you so much for reading and commenting Owlsa your very kind. I think poetry is open to the readers interpretation so what matters is what you get out of a piece. My original idea was a parody of the lyrics for piano man, taken out of the bar onto the factory production line. Maybe the confusion came from the line about digging another mans hole, which is from the old saying, You don't get rich digging another mans hole, and the line about piece A, is just to show the mundane, piece A fits into piece B to make piece C etc. Well that was my idea .... But I do like the grave digger thing . Thanks once again. |
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OLIAS Senior Member
since 2000-06-20
Posts 1090Pearl city Iowa |
Thank you Victoria |
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OwlSA Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347Durban, South Africa |
Multiple giggles, Paul, at my interpretation which was so far off! Thanks for the explanation! I'm looking forward to more ballads from you. Owl |
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