Lineman -Richard Bangle

A lineman life is a hell of alot,First he's cold and then he's hot.Next he's up,then he's down,Digs a hole deep and round.Sets the pole, hangs the guys, Never says quit, he always tries. Belt and hook both strapped on, grabs the handline, he's up and gone.Take up on the hoist, slack off on the guy, Sun so hot he like to die.This goes on, day after day, He sometimes thinks there's a better way.But he's a man true to his trade,The weak have quit, the strong have stayed. By mid afternoon, he's dirty and tired,The thought of a cold one is his greatest desire.Quitin time comes, it finally arrives, Just in time to spare our lives.Dirt scrubbed off, and a few cold Stein's, He's ready to build another mile of line.

This is a poem written by a man in my church.He wrote it many years ago. He was a Lineman in the Centerville area.Richard is now in his 70's. He has a lot of health problems, yet he does as much as he can for people and the church. He told me that he liked to write poems and maybe I would like to see them sometime. I told him that I would love too."He brought me a notebook with thousands of poems! Richard is no artist buy any means, he is not famous because of them, but he has a love for writing, and I did enjoy reading many of them. They were all about work, wars , life and loves. I am glad he shared them with me.