Author -

ODE to the LINEMAN

It's three in the morning, on a cold wintry night,

The telephone rings, you reach for the light,

But the light will not work, the power is out,

A rare good night's sleep is again in doubt.

You know as you answer what the message will be,

               "Grab your coat, pack your bags,

                 Don't know how long we'll be. "

You start toward the exit, your wife blocks the door,

Begging and pleading," Not again, please no more."

        But you push her aside as she starts to sob,

            For you are a Lineman, this is your job!

As your drive down the road, you begin to prepare,

  For the battle to come, just a routine nightmare.

You arrive at the office, grab your weapons and gear,

You report to your foreman, now everyone's here.

You climb on your chariots, the engines under load,

You head towards the trouble, down a treacherous road.

You arrive on the scene and all that you see,

Is nature's great wrath on a destruction spree.

There's one thing to do, go in head first,

You work day and night, till your heart starts to burst.

You never let up, you never slow down,

You must save the people, the cities and towns.

Your skin starts to crack, Your hands start to bleed,

You ignore the pain, it's not not what you need,

You need a night's sleep, a hot meal and a shower,

All you get is a sandwich, and sleep maybe an hour.

All those that see you say, "Help me , I'm cold,"

You must restore power, for the young and the old.

It's you they depend on for water and heat,

Without you they suffer, they stand in the street.

Their fate lies within you, you hold in your hands,

The knowledge and skill, to give life back to the land,

You work countless hours, your numb from the cold,

There's seldom a "Thank you," Hurry up" is what your told.

They take you for granted, they see you as pawns,

They forget in the summer, when you dig up their lawns,

They rush out a cussin', with threats and harsh words,

But you treat them with kindness, for most are just nerds,

They threaten with lawsuits, shotguns and knives,

They seem to forget, you all risked your lives.

They don't see the danger, the clearances so slim,

They don't see the danger as you risk life and limb.

They don't see the bruises or scars from the wars,

They can't see much from inside their doors.

But despite all these drawbacks, disappointments and such,

You still keep on going, you love it that much.

When the battle is over and you've vanquished your foe,

You look back upon it and and there's one thing you know,

No matter how tough the battle has been,

If anyone needs you, you'd do it again.

For you are a Lineman, a title of pride,

Once you've achieved it, you can't be denied.

There are so many hurdles that lie in path,

From a foreman's IQ, to a timekeeper's wrath.

From the public's confusion, that sometimes is quite great,

They don't understand, we don't like them to wait.

You are a Lineman, a man among men,

Few men will travel the path you have been.

You'll never give up, a Lineman won't quit,

The more they pile on you, the tougher you get.

A Lineman is forever, they can't take away,

The spirit inside you, it's in there to stay.

You withstand the hardships that Linemen go through,

For you are a LINEMAN, that's what you do.