"THE MINER'S POEM"
by Lloyd Davies 16/4/21
by Lloyd Davies 16/4/21
He never talked about it much,
My father in his chair,
For I was never there.
That explosion in the colliery,
When the roof above gave way,
And buried him and thirteen friends,
That dark and evil day.
He’d been working with his mandrill,
He swung it with such ease,
Clawing hard against the face,
Upon his solid knees.
He was strong and fit and young,
A collier in his prime,
He never felt afraid or scared,
He didn’t have the time.
His flickering lamp lit up the wall,
He carved it like a dream,
Cutting out the precious coal,
From deep within the seam.
A little further up the road,
John Evans gave a song,
As silhouettes of silent horses,
Pulled the trams along.
The thunder rumbled through the air,
Explosions all around,
A flash of lightning through the black,
That trapped them underground.
He heard the timber split above,
A rush of air was felt,
As rock and coal came crashing down,
And crushed him where he knelt.
When he awoke he did not know,
How long he had been trapped,
He lay neck-deep in earth and stone,
And face posts that had snapped.
He couldn’t move and couldn’t see,
In god he put his trust,
He tried so hard to free his chest,
Whilst breathing in black dust.
To keep himself from going mad,
Not wanting life to end,
He imagined he was young again,
And laughing with his friend.
Deep within that pit of hell,
He focused on the joy,
Of running through the meadow,
That he’d played in as a boy.
Seconds passed then minutes passed,
And hours felt like days,
He fell into unconsciousness,
A dim and ugly haze.
When he awoke, they’d got him out,
He lay there in a bed,
The doctor checked him every hour,
Whilst all his friends were dead.
He never talked about it much,
My father in his chair,
He didn’t think I’d understand,
For I was never there.
I watch him as he gazes,
Out the window, at the skies,
Fading scars upon his hands,
And tears in his eyes.
Source: Proud To Be Welsh Group
Written by: Lloyd Davies 16/4/21
Image: Welsh Miners, Pinterest
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