A Roofers Symphony Poem by Robert Edgar Burns

Rat a tat whack.
Click click clack.
Gurgle gurgle boil,
Splat splash splat.

When I was just a young lad
My Dad put me to work.
I loved that he trusted me,
But some called him a jerk.

After school I had to
Go work on a roof.
My baby brother Dan
Would joke and sometimes goof.

When Danny got some older
His hammer would really shine.
With tools used for construction
His were better than mine.

But since I was much stronger
I would lift the heavy loads,
Carrying buckets of tar up ladders,
And shingles from the road.

Then I would shovel gravel
From a flat bed to the roof.
Dad always did hot mopping,
A cigarette held by tooth.

A hundred pounds a package
Of each asphalt keg I'd lift,
And set it gently in the tar pot
And that strength was a gift.

My muscles were bulging,
Friends didn't mess with me.
Any fights I was ever in
All ended so quickly.

The biggest fight I was ever in
Would happen at my house.
Peeling black tar from my shoes,
And at laundry I was a louse!

My mamma would take over
And sometimes she would rant,
For there was always more tar
On me than on my pants.