Today folk amble along mine tracks
Where once tin was hard hauled.
Inclines were handled by boys, blackened
With pit dust, bare armed, mauled
By overfilled trucks. Bal-maidens worked
Here too, loading ore. Fine young
Females, hair capped, their laughter shirking
The rules. Slack was, among
Such tender crews not allowed, they sang
Though, mining ballards, loudly.
As shovel struck ore, these tracks just rang
With young voices, as, proud
Of their Cornishness, they kept in line.
Silent now, old mine tracks
Still ring with lost childhood, and some nights
We hear singing come back.
Theirs an atmosphere here, you can cut it with a knife for the miners sons and daughters, this was a way of life the boys slaved underground, the girls worked open cast these walkways are are full of stories, of a Cornish past another brilliant poem from the pen of Fay Slimm
The smell of the burnt tracks still lingers on amid past decades had gone by.The old mines fear of losing the once so called the breadwinner of the old town...., couldn't agree less that advance high technology has replaced their reputation.Good writes Fay, you bring back the tears to some!
your poem and alisons elaboration put me in a pansive mood... very well written... and yes bitter sweet.. as catrina says a very nice poem cheers Alison Cassidy (6/24/2009 10: 19: 00 PM) It is the resilience and feisty spirit of the young Cornish folk that ring out from this fine poem about a time, not so long past, when miner's children had no childhood, but shared the grind of work Love, Allie ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
catrina is right...along these lines are bundles of memories which is written in a sweet poem..grace
Along these lines there were hidden bitter sweet memories that made this poem so lovely....10+++++++++
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Well Fay, I've seen a few of these old tin mines alone the cornish shore, hard back breaking work for so little pay, like the mills long gone now good ridence most say, but you are right then they had a Community now sadly lost today... Andy 10