The Digger Poem by Dr Vidya Hariharan

The first touch of metal on earth
Feels intrusive:
The sharp teeth enter hard packed soil
Tear it apart, while retracting.

Tar, cement, macadam, red soil,
Deposited in heaps, floating particles of brown
In the dull air, choking those plodding past,
On their way to work and home.

The crane, meanwhile, bows shyly,
Leans over, then whispers and groans,
A metallic maniac, it burrows and tunnels
Into the heart of the earth.