the gold mine on kilvey hill

 the gold mine on kilvey hill

kilvey hill

in the second quarry

in the warm rock face

a boy’s trepidation stares

deep into the gold mine 

(no coal up here)

dripping dripping dripping

running iron red the floor’s coy invite

a few steps only never more

however often he visits

however strong his pal’s bravado prods 

‘it’s safe’ ‘been here for years like’

who stooped to dig these innards out

above the sea view piled high

the crumbled rock with its fossils

damming the weeping from the mine

to swamp around a few stones

attracting some hillside life 

there is and isn’t a time warp here

but boy longs for the sun

to escape from this quarried scar 

on the seaside of the hillside on

the other side from his village

railwayed far away

it’s all too far away now

that wish to have gone in

but that wish still there i guess

and the rusted bravado

the hill’s tears streaming

down to danygraig cemetery 

there is a dried-up paddling pool 

in a small island park in danygraig 

with token flower beds

nodding like the cranes

on the dockside 

leaning behind the looking up 

back up to the quarries 

yesterday was a goldmine 

today a nugget of truth

let’s go prospecting again 

tomorrow is it