The Real Cost of Coal, a poem by Bev Muendel-Atherstone at Spillwords.com
Kat Beluga

The Real Cost of Coal

The Real Cost of Coal

written by: Bev Muendel-Atherstone

 

The coal miner descends into his dark cave,
Where he, his father and his father’s father,
Eked out a living for decades enslaved,
Their lives, traded for coal, profited others.

While he, his father and his father’s father,
Eked out a living; for others they slaved.
Trading their lives to profit the owners,
As Anthracite on their lungs scars engraved.

Eking a scant living from coal enslaved,
While Anthracosis ravaged their lungs,
From anthracite on their lungs scars engraved,
They’re powerless to protect their own sons.

After ebony dust has ravished his lungs,
Sensing his toil brings an early grave,
Yet too ill to protect his very own sons.
The coal miner descends down into his cave.

The coal miner descends into his black cave,
Where he, his father and his father’s father,
Eked out a living for decades enslaved,
Their lives, traded for coal, profiting others.

While he, his father and his father’s father,
Eked out a living; for others they slaved.
Trading their lives to profit the owners,
As Anthracite on their lungs scars engraved.

Eking barely a living by coal enslaved,
As millions burned coal that savaged earth’s lungs,
And Anthracosis their scared lungs enraged,
How will we protect the earth’s and our young?

As millions burned coal that savaged earth’s lungs,
Sensing our toil portends an early grave,
Yet too ill to protect the earth’s and our young,
The coal miner descends back into his cave.

Bev Muendel-Atherstone

Bev Muendel-Atherstone

After writing poems in various rhyme schemes I have decided to try non rhymes. As I feel passionately about the inequities of our times, my poems have turned political. It is freeing to find the screaming voice of dissent that is trapped within the convention of daily living. Poetry is the last refuge of the suffering while standing tall as the vanguard of change.
Bev Muendel-Atherstone

Latest posts by Bev Muendel-Atherstone (see all)