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The Other Lineman

An accident occurred

A good man lost his life

A wife lost her husband

A child lost their dad

 

We never talk about the other lineman

He has to put the accident behind him

Tomorrow he wood walks again

A few days later he stands at a funeral

 

People talk to him about an accident

He hasn’t processed yet

He hasn’t figured out what happened

He can’t remember

 

Life calls

 

Was the mistake due to something I did

Can I do this today

 

There is a hole inside

The accident is all he sees

 

The hollow eyes

The sleep that never comes

The explosion in his face

 

When the ambulance pulled the blanket over the face

A blink of an eye

 

Fellow troubleman every time he walked up to a house

he carried all his gear

 

Cancer took him

 

Seeing a man who got hit in the face

with a tree saw

 

We went to dinner afterwards

with all those teeth marks on his face

 

 Walked with men

who were scared of the dark

 

I have seen fear in lineman’s faces

 

Watched men laugh

 

Watched lineman wipe tears

 

Saw a guy go to the heart doctor

and get a clean bill of health

one week later he died of a heart attack

 

Saw a man come in

after a fellow line hand on his crew died

 

His eyes were hollow

 

Watched men retire relieved they made it

 

Saw men give up the line

and do other things

 

Sometimes I wonder what I missed other times

I am very aware I don’t want to know

 

The Other Lineman

 

The one left behind

Thomas H Palmer II

 


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