Month: August 2016

THEY CALLED IT FEATHERBEDDING

Posted on by artifiswords

Something most
Have probably
Never heard of
Was a regular
Topic in my home…
When railroads
Switched from
Steam to diesel
There was deemed
To be an extra man
In the cab…no longer
Was there a physical need
For a fireman…no more
Shoveling coal for steam…
The union called it a
Matter of safety…
Four eyes…not two
The companies fought…
And it appears they won
But think about the
Engineer who ran off
The rails last year…
He missed a signal
Would two more eyes
Have done the same?
We’ll never know…but
What’s done is done
Jobs were lost…but also
How many lives?
The companies called
The move to keep
The fireman in the cab
“Featherbedding”
A term filled with scorn…
Or could it have been
Called common sense?

 

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WITNESS

Posted on by artifiswords

You’ll deny it
But I was a witness
And the victim of
Your misdeeds
The saddest part…
I know you better
Than you know
Yourself…denial
Won’t change that
And yet you’ll do it

© 2016 Robert Mihaly

DAILY PROMPTS prompt for 8/26/16: WITNESS

OBVIOUS

Posted on by artifiswords

You could have said
It was obvious…
Putting a greenhouse gas
Into our air should have
Been understood
As a hazard…
But even now
As the evidence mounts
That something’s very wrong
We haven’t stopped…
Will it only become
Obvious to some
Who deny the facts
When they stand
On what once was
The water’s edge
Chest-deep in the sea?

© 2016 Robert Mihaly

DAILY PROMPTS prompt for 8/25/16: OBVIOUS

STILL LOOKING FOR HIS PLACE

Posted on by artifiswords

Early on he was noticed…
An up and coming artist, they said
What happened wasn’t unusual…
Life just took its toll…
It’s happened far too many times
Patronage in previous centuries
Allowed the creation of
Countless paintings and sculptures
But looking at our priorities now
You see buildings devoid of ornament…
If anyone is waiting, wants the work
Of a creative soul…he asks…
What are you waiting for
As his time grows shorter?
He’d like to meet those
Who admire his work

MOTHER’S NOT HAPPY

Posted on by artifiswords

Mother isn’t happy…
I mean Mother Earth, of course
How can we not see what we do
And not all be ashamed?
Green places turned to desert…
Vast bodies of water turned
Into deadly toxic sewers…
Open pits where mountains
Had their tops removed…
The scars and insults everywhere…
Can anyone not comprehend?
She’s had enough…she’s pissed!
Our future is jeopardized…
So as you deny the climate’s change
One question remains…how long
Can you tread water, dude?

© 2016 Robert Mihaly

DAILY PROMPTS prompt for 8/21/16: JEOPARDIZE