On The Outside

From the outside looking in, I dream of how my life could have been.

I recall memories of days gone by, then I bow my head with a silent sigh.

I am standing at a Lancashire pit named as Bold, in days of old,

A once great pit of high regard, now I take photographs of the old pit yard.

It has been closed for quite a while now, the headgears long gone.

Today it feels like ten thousand coal miners are here looking on.

There are not any coal mines left now; they are gone for good.

Most men wouldn’t go back to them, no, not even if they could.

I am on the outside looking in, dreaming how it could have been.

The dream was long ago over; for some, it never really began.

Bold was a really great pit, worked by many good hard-working men.

So on the outside looking in, I see many miners' ghosts roam here,

Family members I lost forever; right now, I stand and I shed a silent tear.

To all the men who worked underground, you kept the country going

Through war and hard times. To those who perished here, I shed a tear.

You worked below in the dark and showed no fear. Rest in peace.

To my Dad George Hurst, a hard-working coal miner, you were the best.

Sleep well, Dad, rest in peace.

George Hurst 27th August 1919 - 3rd July 1988 ❤️ I love you, Dad ❤️