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The Pilings
| Open Poetry #1 |
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The Pilings |
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Tim Senior Member
since 1999-06-08
Posts 1794 |
The summer sun beats down, in merciless attack Sweat poured off his shoulders, and down his chiseled back In his hands a shovel, on roadbed he did toil For seven bucks an hour, as searing sun did boil. No one knew his background, or where he went at night Appeared each day at sunrise, to toil at dawn's first light He never spoke a word, just went about his work Always did as ordered, no task did e'er he shirk. While working on some pilings, for bridge to cross Mill Creek The workers stopped with wide-eyed stare, as man did up and speak I'll work no more 'cause this ain't right, he said with deep disgust Someone's changed the grade of steel, these pilings they will bust. The boss he came a running, screamed, what's the matter here What is this talk of faulty steel? is just a groundless fear I might have saved a couple bucks, it's what I had to do The public needs this road right now, the work it must go through. The boss then turned and spoke to man with shovel in his hand I admire anyone, who in his craw's got sand But you're just a working man, you are not the boss Pick up your check and hit the road, wrong person you did cross. To the boss the man replied, this discourse it is through I am but a working man, not smart as likes of you Your intellect belongs, at bureaucratic desk Your lunacy of logic, at best is Kafkaesque. He walked o'er to a cement truck, sat behind the wheel Drove down the embankment, into the piling's steel The road it now is finished, the pilings were repaired They buried man with shovel, beneath the bridge interred. My father was a judge, he set a killer free He swore to his creator, no more courtrooms he would see For the killer killed again, a mother and her son In penance for his legal deed, hard labor he'd begun. Occasionally I'll travel, along Mill Creek I'll go As I cross the Mill Creek bridge, I'll gaze down far below No matter what our status, we all with demons live And if our lives have meaning, we must ourselves forgive. [This message has been edited by Tim (edited 07-07-99).] |
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| © Copyright 1999 Tim - All Rights Reserved | |||
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Craig Member
since 1999-06-10
Posts 444 |
Absolutely fabulous this is an easy read that coveys all the right feelings, creates all the right pictures has a great twist and a superb ending. I’ll be coming back to this one again and again |
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Tim Senior Member
since 1999-06-08
Posts 1794 |
Thank you for the nice words Craig... |
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Mike Member Elite
since 1999-06-19
Posts 2462 |
* [This message has been edited by Mike (edited 07-29-99).] |
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