Vox Populi
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Dawn Potter: As a Thief in the Night
1891
It was about nine o’clock that the explosion occurred,
and soon a black vapor poured out of the top of the shaft.
.
Horrible Explosion of Mine Gas!
The telephone rang the alarm throughout the region.
.
The mine superintendent had been up all night
attending a Robert Burns dinner at a local hotel.
.
After-damp kept him from going far down the shaft,
but he saw enough.
.
The Victims Met the King of Terror
in the Thick Darkness of the Long Underground Ways!
A crowd of fathers and brothers,
of mothers, sisters, and sweethearts
.
pressed in close around the shaft building.
60 Acres Strewn with Corpses!
.
There was but little suspense.
They were told the worst—
.
Lives of 107 Men Snuffed Out!—
and they returned to their homes almost in silence.
.
—
copyright 2015 by Dawn Potter
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Thank you so very much for this poem. I’ve written on this subject, or close to it, through the years. I didn’t know the work of Dawn Potter. From: Vox Populi To: sharondoubiago@yahoo.com Sent: Thursday, January 8, 2015 2:00 AM Subject: [New post] Dawn Potter: As a Thief in the Night #yiv9141045295 a:hover {color:red;}#yiv9141045295 a {text-decoration:none;color:#0088cc;}#yiv9141045295 a.yiv9141045295primaryactionlink:link, #yiv9141045295 a.yiv9141045295primaryactionlink:visited {background-color:#2585B2;color:#fff;}#yiv9141045295 a.yiv9141045295primaryactionlink:hover, #yiv9141045295 a.yiv9141045295primaryactionlink:active {background-color:#11729E;color:#fff;}#yiv9141045295 WordPress.com | Michael Simms posted: “1891It was about nine o’clock that the explosion occurred,and soon a black vapor poured out of the top of the shaft. Horrible Explosion of Mine Gas!The telephone rang the alarm throughout the region.The mine superintendent had been” | |
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