ON THE LAST DEEP COAL MINE CLOSING

by ray pool

Saturday 19th December 2015 5:00 pm

NO MORE

DEEP COAL

FROM A DEEP HOLE

NO DEED POLL

DECISIONS TAKEN

AT A HIGHER LEVEL

CHEFS OF ENTERPRISE

CUTTING BACK

NO SURPRISE

KNEW IT WAS COMING

WORKERS THUMBING

A LIFT TO OBLIVION

BLACK GOLD

DISPLAYED IN A CASE

SO THAT AT COAL'S DISGRACE

THE YOUNG CAN STARE

DEEP DESPAIR

WILL ANYONE CARE?

BURY THE WELSH IN MEMORIES

THE YORKSHIREMEN TOO

DON'T FORGET THE CUMBRIANS

THE MEN OF KENT

THE HUNDRED OF HOO?

SALUTE THE GATHERING SUPER OUTLETS

IN THEIR BRILLIANT CLOTHES

THE MAZES THAT PEOPLE MUST LIVE IN

THE CLOSELY GUARDED OATHS.

WE'LL KEEP THE LOCOMOTIVES

AS A TOKEN OF THE PAST

A SENSE OF FALSE SECURITY

IS BOUND TO CATCH ON FAST.

Comments

raypool

Tue 22nd Dec 2015 17:21

Stu, you wouldn't necessarily know about this small cul de sac of terminology! A gamble on my part . I enjoy a light batter of comments.

John, another interesting and personal point you have made. Health and safety are paramount today. rightly. Maybe the whole ethos of our industrial past will become ludicrously glamorised in our nostalgic future. Ray

John Coopey

Tue 22nd Dec 2015 12:20

Sad to see the end of an industry that was so good to me for 20 years (and more if I count my pension).
We are,though, more ambivalent about dirty fuel these days.

Stu Buck

Tue 22nd Dec 2015 10:43

aha. hoisted by my own petard! and me an ex-chef!

raypool

Tue 22nd Dec 2015 10:35

;Thanks all for your kind comments. You're quite right Harry in pointing out contamination of course. Even in the south we had smog. The problem never seems to go away entirely. No human activity is without its negatives I suppose. Even musicians like myself get strain injuries!

Stu. touché! In this case I did intend to use Chef. The reason probably being that the French refer to "chef de l'orchestre " for bandleader. Subconsciously I find this a prompt. I know it stands out, and thanks for spotting it. Your version would actually be more comfortable!!

Harry O'Neill

Mon 21st Dec 2015 23:19

Coming home from Anfield in the old days I used to stand at the crest of Netherfield road and gaze at the broad blanket of dense coal-fire fog under which the city before me was buried.

At least the gas-fire and car-exhaust fumes which are (cough, cough) killing me today are invisible.

One of the falsely securitised.

Stu Buck

Mon 21st Dec 2015 22:18

great last verse. the capitalisation give it a picket line, signs in the air chanting nature.

CHEFS OF ENTERPRISE

im assuming this is suppose to be chiefs? i'm all for a bit of festive pedantry...

Tommy Carroll

Sat 19th Dec 2015 18:38

Well written Ray well said Brandon. Tommy

brandon sproule

Sat 19th Dec 2015 17:49

This piece was great. Thanks for truth in rhyme. They(wealthy few)are going to need another sleeping pill tonight with your words in the air.

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ON THE LAST DEEP COAL MINE CLOSING

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