The Pain Was Etched Poem by Brian Kilpatrick

The pain was etched
Into his face
By every swing of his hammer
Every quiver of muscle
On his body vibrated with pain
The pain was accompanied
By the mental and spiritual exhaustion
Of worries about his family and bills
That could not be paid
His mind body and spirit
Were loaded with pain
Like a train hauling coal
Through the WV mountainside
That appeared to have no end
The only thing clearer
Than the pain
Etched into his face
Was the pride and dignity
That he had purchased
With every drop of sweat
That he had bled