A Little Chimney Sweep Poem by David Harris
A Little Chimney Sweep
For Duncan Wyllie
Who suggest I write this in a comment he once made.
Back in the 1800’s
in a large city in England
there lived a seven year old
and I will call him Tarn.
His hair was matted with soot,
his face and hands were black.
His clothes were old and cast offs
and didn’t fit too well.
His trousers had holes in the knees
and the elbows of his shirt were gone.
His skin was black from head to foot
from climbing chimneys
each and everyday.
He could work sometimes sixteen hours
before he finished for the day.
He never got educated,
nor did he play with friends.
He had no childhood
for as soon as he was old enough
to walk and climb out to work he had to go
to earn money to be fed.
There were no luxuries that we enjoy today.
Everyday you worked from dawn to dusk.
He didn’t smile or laugh,
just scampered up and down chimneys
to clean the soot away.
On one fateful day he found himself
wedged and couldn’t move.
No one heard his cries,
or if they did, they just ignored them.
Day after day, he struggled to get free
and all the time getting weaker and weaker.
He was soon forgotten about
and slowly his life expired.
He must have died in agony
more than most of us will ever know.
His body lay there for over a hundred years
before it was discovered by accident
when they renovated the old house.
This is a wonderful poem but of course rather sad. Life wasn't worth much in those days. You may find my poem, entitled 'The Little Chimney Sweep' too worth a read if you have the time. Love and hugs Ernestine XXX
Dear David, This had such a dramatic ending to it, so, so sad, almost unbelievable, And then to find out at the end that it was in fact a true event, , , , well that just about capped it of, , Now... This has all come at such a strange timing, , I know that I can tell you this and that you will believe me when I say it, , but, JUST this afternoon, I was working with a group of Children and guess what the book was called...THE WORKING CHILDREN AND GUESS WHAT THE WORK WAS THAT THE CHILDREN HAD TO DO, , , YES! CHIMNEY SWEEP! how strange the timing of things, it was a play book about Dr Banardo, and how he saved two Children who had been working for a mean old guy called SCRAGSCUTT, , If only the poor Child that you had mentioned could have been noticed and then saved by such a gracefull soul such as Dr Banardo All the same this poem was skillfully crafted, very well presented and will remain just one of the wonderful acts that you share so easily THANKYOU DAVID* LOVE duncan X
Hi David! I'm sure Duncan will enjoy this write, as much as i did and more! ! *10*! ! ! Best regards Friend Thad
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Delivering Poems Around The World
Poems are the property of their respective owners. All information has been reproduced here for educational and informational purposes to benefit site visitors, and is provided at no charge...
5/6/2024 3:21:18 PM # 1.0.0.1119
I remember hearing a story on the news about that......sad commentary on our world....when everyone thinks life was so much simpler and better back then...not always so