In Tallmansville Poem by Ted L Glines

In Tallmansville
by Ted L Glines

Why do they go down deep in the mine
where the flowers don't grow and the sun don't shine,
death stalks them all as they work down there
in the shakin' ground and the deadly air,
and down in the deep of the Sago pit,
there's twelve more souls a-guarding it,
young men, old men, down in the hole,
dark as black lung - breathin' coal,
but down they go day after day
'cause it's their life and it's their pay
and an inner code must be obeyed,
“We trust in God, we're not afraid.”


Published in A place of...Amazing Grace, January 2006, a chapbook published by Debra J Harmes-Kurth and Barbary Chaapel, and Art With Words Chapbook Publications in Milton, West Virginia, commemorating the Sago Mine Disaster, with proceeds from sales going to the Miners Assistance Fund set up by the West Virginia Council of Churches. Contributing works to this chapbook were writers from all over America, and I feel so humble and honored to have been allowed to participate with my little verse. I remain amazed at how quickly so many writers responded to the Sago crisis, and the speed at which Debra and Barbary had the chapbook completed and ready for sale. It makes me proud to be numbered among such dedicated people.

The final stanza of “Watching Sago, ” by Lola Warren, says it all:

“Shouts of joy and praise,
Geraldo sobbing, as false reports
Of rescue are followed by
A creshendo of heartbreak which
Reverberates around the world.”