Poetry About Coal

The lift descends beneath the morning. Black dust settles into every seam. Ancient forests wait inside the rock. Above ground, chimneys turn labor into weather. Coal has warmed homes and darkened lungs. Every source of power carries a human ledger.

Evening changes the shape of the subject. Black dust settles into every seam. Edges soften, but meaning grows clearer. Above ground, chimneys turn labor into weather. What remains asks to be carried carefully. Every source of power carries a human ledger.

The lift descends beneath the morning. Time moves, but the image does not leave. Ancient forests wait inside the rock. It returns us to mining, ancient carbon, labor, energy, polluted air, industrial history, and communities shaped by extraction. Coal has warmed homes and darkened lungs. The day continues with a more attentive heart.