They gathered on street corners this army of men
Dressed in the same uniform of caps, mufflers, shabby suits and when
They looked at passers-by all hope evaporated from sunken eyes
Which couldn't even reach towards the skies
Saving Woodbine ends in battered tins which had seen better days
While the aura of poverty hung in the air with a dismal haze.
Scavenging the ash tips for cinders to sell from door to door
Two pence a bucket to those who weren't so poor.
Who took pity on these desperate folk
With no sign of work and just plain broke
In spirit as well as pocket it hit the nation hard
For this was the Depression with no holds barred.
Who could forget the days of bread and dripping
Where hopes of a better future were slipping?
When the miners went on strike their slogan was
Not a penny off the pay, not a minute on the day.
Their case was doomed it was heard to say
And so it proved for they went back achieving nowt
And for some it meant a permanent lock-out.
For they were classed as trouble-makers and were turned away from work,
And the employers in their triumph did not hesitate to shirk
To call them militants and communists and sometimes even worse
And the unfortunate concerned lived a long time with this curse.
And so we've turned full circle for a recession has struck again
But now it's called the credit crunch causing misery and pain.
Tney say that it will last at least another twenty years
Leaving people gazing sadly into many an empty purse
But we pray that from this fiasco a valuable lesson will be learned.
And try to prevent in future, not get our fingers burned
We must remember the past that when Pandora's box was opened hope was what remained,
So hope is what we must all cling to for a secure future to be regained.
– Marigold Pritchard, Coleford.