Coal Town, 1926
Title
Coal Town, 1926
Subject
Coal Mining Exhibit
Description
Bond poem, 3 Horrell photographs
Creator
David Bond, Beth Martell, Doc Horrell
Source
The Light That Shatters Darkness Exhibit
Publisher
Special Collections Research Center, Morris Library, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Contributor
Special Collections Research Center, Morris Library, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Rights
Use Restrictions: To quote in print, or otherwise reproduce in whole or in part in any publication, including on the World Wide Web, any material from this collection, the researcher must obtain permission from (1) the owner of the physical property and (2) the holder of the copyright. Persons wishing to quote from this collection should consult Special Collections Research Center to determine copyright holders for information in this collection. Reproduction of any item must contain the complete citation to the original.
Format
Text, JPG photographs
Language
English
Type
Poetry, photography
Identifier
Exhibit Window #7
Original Format
Three photographs of abandoned buildings
Text
Coal Town, 1926
Night in Coal Town, Hunkie Row.
In a spill of uncut pitch we live,
floating ash from the alps of slag
the wet moon loops above as an
omen we cannot read. Here,
the cornsnow ricks dingy drifts
and a man grovels for ten-hour
turns in the space of a tomb. Here,
a swampslash of carbon defines us,
blesses us with its dark rainbow;
its oily grit flavors us like stew.
And here, tonight, a lone woman
at a lop-legged table cribbed with
cap boards like a piece of bad top
moon-watches, breathes in the ash,
the odors of stove polish and Hardwater
Castille Soap. She smiles at the way
lean flames of oil lamps flinch behind
curved glass. Her face is shining.
In the barn a blind pullhorse named
Doll stands asleep. Fresh-paid men
shuffle in line before Yates’ whorehouse.
Night in Coal Town, Hunkie Row.
In a spill of uncut pitch we live,
floating ash from the alps of slag
the wet moon loops above as an
omen we cannot read. Here,
the cornsnow ricks dingy drifts
and a man grovels for ten-hour
turns in the space of a tomb. Here,
a swampslash of carbon defines us,
blesses us with its dark rainbow;
its oily grit flavors us like stew.
And here, tonight, a lone woman
at a lop-legged table cribbed with
cap boards like a piece of bad top
moon-watches, breathes in the ash,
the odors of stove polish and Hardwater
Castille Soap. She smiles at the way
lean flames of oil lamps flinch behind
curved glass. Her face is shining.
In the barn a blind pullhorse named
Doll stands asleep. Fresh-paid men
shuffle in line before Yates’ whorehouse.
Files
Collection
Citation
David Bond, Beth Martell, Doc Horrell, “Coal Town, 1926,” SCRC Virtual Museum at Southern Illinois University's Morris Library, accessed April 20, 2024, https://scrcexhibits.omeka.net/items/show/50.
Comments