The Day has Ended.

The miner sits, pipe smoking,
Staring into the fire,
Face aglow from the coal
He has hewed.

Wife and children
Sat nearby, are quiet,
each to their own,
Cocooned in the fruits of his labour,
Clothed, fed and content.

Tomorrow will be as yesterday,
Dust filled and dark,
500 feet below,
Where gas, water and fall
Exact their toll.

But tonight he can allow himself a little satisfaction,
For it is his labour that has provided for
A home, a family, and
A moment of peace in a world of noise.