Under
July 5, 2023The Mayor of Gary
July 5, 2023The Shovel Man
On the street
Slung on his shoulder is a handle half way across,
Tied in a big knot on the scoop of cast iron
Are the overalls faded from sun and rain in the ditches;
Spatter of dry clay sticking yellow on his left sleeve
And a flimsy shirt open at the throat,
I know him for a shovel man,
A dago working for a dollar six bits a day
And a dark-eyed woman in the old country dreams of
him for one of the world’s ready men with a pair
of fresh lips and a kiss better than all the wild
grapes that ever grew in Tuscany.
Carl Sandburg
Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) was an American poet and writer known for his works on American culture and history. He wrote several volumes of poetry, including "Chicago Poems" and "The People, Yes," and also authored the landmark biography of Abraham Lincoln, "Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years."