- In Pittsburgh
brittle worn steelworkers reminiscedays of courage and honorstrong and fine as the steelforefathers cried and bled for"giants worked the mills thenmen so tall they shadowed the suntheir women stood by themchildren respected themthis use'ta be one helluva towna real shot 'n' beer town"
but of todaydrinking their 'iron city' beersthese rusting remnants of legendssneer"the old ways are mockedchildren have grown wildour own women compete against usthere is no honor left for meneven the new steel warps and cracks"
they cannot tell you what happenedthese hard-hat relics do not know [End Page 72] that blood and tearshave nothing to dowith the making of steel
when men cry and bleed for steelwhat are children to respectwhat comfort can women be [End Page 73]
Footnotes
This poem originally appeared in Red Cedar Review, Vol. 13 Iss. 1, 1979.