The Shipbuilder Spoke We built the past Those hands of steel, Faces black with the Grime of pride In every hour spent In heat and cold Sweat beading to drips And fingers brittle upon Metal that froze Dull to un-reflection. Ears ringing to The deafening hammer Of metal upon metal upon hour And years that bore The success of honest toil And laboured gains Of a workmanship revered We built the past And stood in the glow As the sun set and glinted From polished hull and every Rivet gleamed as our ship shone, blinding. And so did our smiles. Shining like the crescent moon On a night of darkest pitch. We built the past. As those ships slid To a welcoming sea, We stood and looked In silence. A thunderous silence. A look amongst us that said, We built the past. _____________________________ Inpsired by a visit to Belfast and the huge cranes of the Harland and Wolff shipyards that built Titanic and so many other magnificent ship. The craftsmanship and sheer hard work involved was staggering.
