Just another day in the mines

A man working in the mines and made sacrifices for his job just to get laid off.

By olivia s. from Morehead Writing Project in Kentucky

He wakes up every day before dawn

He kisses his wife and child to say goodbye

He told them he’d be home before nine

Just another day in the mine


They, of course, knew this was a lie

But they just smiled and said alright

They’d grown accustomed to this life

Just another day in the mine 


After he left, they said a prayer

Father, please keep him under your care

So many unknowns and what-ifs

Just another day in the mine


He came home early that evening

Worry instantly flooded their faces

Why hadn’t they been kept in the Good Lords graces

It was his last “just another day” in the mines



More responses from Morehead Writing Project

Surprise Me

More responses from Kentucky

Surprise Me

Writing Our Future: American Creed is part of the National Writing Project’s family of youth publishing projects, all gathered under the Writing Our Future initiative.

Writing Our Future projects are designed by educators for educators and the young people they work with. Intended for use in schools, libraries, and other educational settings. All projects are COPPA compliant and educator-managed. NWP is committed to supporting young people’s writing and civic participation by providing a safe and supportive environment for youth writing, media creation, sharing, and publishing.