R e m e m b e r i n g  C o a l  

M i n e r s

by Paul J Cech


You put in your time
but the anthracite and bituminous
merely yawned as your
minutes
days
years
lifetime passed
Your time is simply a whisper
a dash
breath
the wink of an eye


The dark is etched
India ink-blot black


The air is dense with
particles that linger in your lungs


The seam groans an eerie song
that causes you to pause and
listen for the melody to turn to pure joy
or
a damp dirge of death that only others will hear


Your children grow


Your wife ages


Your bones ache


   The feel of dust remains
   on the back of your neck
   even though you’ve scrubbed a thousand times


You put in your time
until the final moment when
you beat the anthracite and bituminous
and you rest


   You sleep forever free