Thursday, November 8, 2012

Praise To The Unsung

Poetry Friday is hosted today by the creative Ed DeCaria at Think Kid, Think!  Every Friday is a pleasure to read each entry.  Come join us at Ed's!


Since our terrible fires last June, I have become so thankful for those who work hard to keep us safe.  Those firefighters worked with less sleep than seems humanly possible, in dangerous conditions, to save homes, the habitats of both humans and animals.  This past week, and just two days ago, storms, rain, and then snow hit the eastern side of our country, and millions lost power, while others lost even more.  



photo credit: Seattle Municipal Archives via photopin cc

            There again we see those who take care of people, work again without sleep, in challenging weather, to get electricity and other services back to the people.  We are spoiled here, used to flipping a switch and getting what we want, what we are used to, what we need in our connected world.  I hope we are also thankful for those who help us get these services.  
            Then I remembered a poem about repairmen I had saved that pays tribute to all those who take us from lost to saved, actually quite fast.  Every day I hear about a repairman's good deed, often working overtime to do this work.  I am grateful.

The poem's title:  Telephone Repairman
                                                  by Joe Millar, whose website is here.

It begins
                                     
All morning in the February light
he has been mending cable, 
splicing the pairs of wires together
according to their colors, 
                           and the rest is here.  

                                                                  
photo credit: jpmueller99 via photopin cc
Imagine repairing this.

17 comments:

  1. Very cool poem, Linda! I'm in awe of all the strong, selfless people who work to keep us safe and fix what is broken, giving our daily lives with all its comforts, back to us after natural disasters.

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  2. Thank you for the glimpse into the life of a telephone repairman. My father was a construction worker; this poem brought back memories of him coming home from work after spending long hours in cold Wisconsin winter weather. Brrrr!

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  3. Hi, Linda! I heard Joseph Millar read at the Dodge Festival in 2010. He's really wonderful. Thank you for sharing this poem -- I am posting the link on Facebook for all my New Jersey friends who are just now getting their power back.

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  4. It's so great to hear all that you think about this, Jama, JoAnn and Laura. I have carried this poem around for a while & now when I share, look at the connections. There are so many who, as Jama said, keep us safe & fix things, often in dangerous circumstances. And JoAnn, I worked with a teacher a while ago whose husband was a public service repairman; she worried so about him in bad weather, as you've described. Thank you Laura for posting-I imagine, though frustrated to wait so long, that they will appreciate all that the workers have done. Thanks all!

    FYI-I'll try to visit later; I closed today on my new home & am all a flutter, actually, excited but nervous. All is well, just so much to do!

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  5. What an absolutely fabulous poem, Linda. I have a deepened respect for these repairmen and women these days, seeing their heroic work in the week since Sandy. What an awesome job they've done.

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  6. A wonderful poem for those men and women who put them selves in harm's way to make life better for others.

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  7. Yes, there are so many unsung heroes! Thank you for this!

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  8. Hi Linda, this is a beautiful tribute to so many people who make our lives 'convenient' as you have put it - our unsung heroes. :) Beautiful photos and poem. :) But the sentiment is even greater. :)

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  9. Thank you everyone. The poem touched me a long while ago, & still does. I'm glad that all of you like it too.

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  10. We see the electricians and repairmen working in the eastern U.S. mayhem on our news too. What a wonderful poetic selection for this time, Linda!

    Violet N.

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  11. "from continent to continent
    over the curve of the earth" - so beautiful. Thank you for sharing such a timely poem and post, Linda. I fondly remember my college roommate's father, a power company employee, and the heart-stopping phone call that came while we were still in college saying that he'd been electrocuted in the line of duty. Unsung heroes indeed.

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    1. Oh, Robyn, it's such a great loss. I'm sorry for the loss for your friend and for you, too. We don't forget do we? Thank you for sharing. I feel like these people do so much for us, and we don't often acknowledge it.

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  12. My dad was the John Deere parts department manager. I remember the long hours he put in keeping the wheat harvest going by having or getting the parts the farmers needed for their equipment.

    So many unsung everyday heroes!

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    1. Thanks, Mary Lee. I had a cousin who did the harvest a long while ago. What a long few weeks it was, & they too worked long hours on dangerous equipment.

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  13. What a beautiful poem, Linda--thanks for sharing it. I have two relatives who are phone and/or cable repairmen...what a great tribute!

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    1. Laura, thank you! I'm so glad to hear others' connections to this, whether direct or not.

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