road crew

the mystery quit spinning last Tuesday

when it was noticed that the men

(no longer in the field)

were waiting for the machines to finish

it was a side thought

like many of the editorials

not smart enough to have a life

of their own

they were folding their papers

the way my father did when he read the Parade section

of the Richmond Times Dispatch

one time he and I were working together

we talked while he drove to the job

and on the way passed a dark and sweaty road crew

growing the ditches

one shovel stroke at a time

he wondered why they were paid so little

for so much work

we would be reimbursed for our mileage

we would be reimbursed for our rooms and meals

and paid handsomely

for light office work

Reviews

[Bright Ocean Star]

Xavier, I love the lazy atmospheric feel to this. Like its a lazy afternoon ride with your father in the cab of a truck. Nice commentary on a social injustice. It's true...many times the hardest workers are paid the lowest wages. However, in most states I've lived in, the road crews make really good money. They have to. They have to work all day in the heat of the hot sun. Municipal and State crews get paid with good benefits.

[Alfred Kukitz]

Great storytelling Silver with an earthy appeal to the senses! Good to hear from you again!

regards,
al

[Linda alexander]

Let me take you to another area of life, hard worker, lesser wages, eating happily with family at the end of the day, wife simply wipes the sweat away from his fore head, kids finishes just high school and follow dad's path but harmony and happiness resides among them may be not every single case lie that, on the other side a man with six figure income gets all nagging from the spouse, uses him as materialistic goal attaining machine, kids do drugs, drop out of high school or college, did not follow dad's career, another one doing everything but nothing full filling, there is no real answers why people suffer more than others but there is a genuine questions all the time, liked a lot poet's observation and the question raised, education and white collar jobs is not what it used to be in the past, some won't get a regular job as they are overqualified

[Lydia Shutter]

Indeed, manual laborers are seldom paid as much as office workers, but they toil and sweat far more. Thing is, a lot of those office jobs require education the laborers did not have. I liked the reminiscing in this one...including the Parade magazine. I remember it well. Lydi**

[marcus]

I liked it, great one. And with a good point!!

[Emily B]

have you ever noticed that the less capable are the most promoted?

I think it is the same in all the biggest organizations

[paul sal.....]

S**t, I dont know, I am sitting here drinking a beer and eating a cookie but I'd guess it has something to do with ecomomics and greed

[jacob erin-cilberto]

it's getting to be all office work anymore...computers, technology doing it all for us.

I used to dig ditches in an oil refinery...there was something calming about that...out in that ditch, away from everyone else, all alone, digging and singing and picking with that pick....great times...gone...