THE SALT MINES

By Charles Robert Lindholm 

working in the salt mines
it’s a hard and daily grind
a slave to weekly wages
it’s a life that’s so unkind 

no parties with the mighty
the famous and the rich
chained to debt and paychecks
they dig within the ditch 

it’s not what they had hoped for
it’s not their dream come true
but little choices led the way
and now it’s what they do 

the secrets, no one told them
or they ignored them if they did
married at a tender age
and now they have a kid 

a vicious cycle becomes a rut
familiar in a way
trading time for dollars
afraid to break away 

making changes, taking chances
forcing life to pay
freedom’s choice seems risky
and so they choose to stay 

bound by the chains that bind them
they’ve surrendered up their souls
and rent themselves for wages
once they’ve given up their goals 

Copyright © 2017 Charles Robert Lindholm – All Rights Reserved

4 thoughts on “THE SALT MINES

  1. Great piece of poetry Charles. I was brought up in a coal mining community and you have managed to capture the spirit of miners.

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.