West Virginia

For us West Virginia was after Alaska the worse place we ever worked

It is a mountainous state that is physically very beautiful

There are roads so winding that you might get physically ill as you drive them

Still we did meet some very hard working people who did what they could to survive

As usual the people that were mean to us were the ones we worked for

We saw a priest abuse a wonderful and capable older nun until she could no longer stand it and had to leave

We left as soon as we could possibly arrange to do so

This same priest we believe physically abused our daughter and we know he abused us

I turned a van over and almost was killed on the way there and that was only the beginning

Why were we there and why did we stay is only answered by we did not know what else to do

We had nowhere else to go and we did not want to be homeless once more

We endured for a long year prior to the gift of North Dakota

Bluefield was once a thriving city but now it is not even a shell of itself

with 4th generation unemployment

It is a San Francisco type hilly town and hollows abound even within the town

It is as different from San Francisco as possible in every other way especially in attitudes

The interstate to Charleston where we attended a weekend retreat

is over a very mountainous terrain

Beckley is a pretty and nice winter resort would be town

Highway 50 is a very curvy and scenic highway which we have driven both at night

and in the daytime and it can be a quite scary drive

The major interstates, 64, 79 and the Turnpike all take you through beautiful scenic areas

West Virginia is a magnificent mountain colorful state that is a delight to the eye

We have driven to Welch, Maitland and of course War

The road to War is not just winding but steep, with no edges and crowded and

distances are measured in time not miles

Pipestem State park is a natural pleasure and we camped there to escape

We toured for free a coal mine and it was dark and dreary as we thought it might be

We drove in the old mining millionaire’s town where

the mansions looked like run down wooden homes

This is a state no matter where you go you will find physical beauty

and people who are angry

They are not angry specifically at you, all though it seems like they are,

they are just tired and mad and unemployed

The more beauty there is in a place, well,

it seems the more anger, violence and despair there is also

The New River Bridge is one of the natural wonders of the state and we have crossed it often

We found at least two great covered bridges and a nice stained glass factory

There are many fine flea markets and we visited a lot of them

It is a state of nooks and crannies even in its physical layout, at times

it is hard to know if you are in Virginia or West Virginia

The people that do have jobs cling desperately to them and work very hard

We went to an Italian Festival in Morgantown and no matter how hard we tried,

we simply did not fit in

This is not a state we want to return to and might well go out of our way to avoid

Still it is physically a very beautiful state

The Mine

I wrote this while we lived in Bluefield, West Virginia

Slender shaft leading deep into the earth,

Dark, damp, cold timbers holding back black earth,

Candlelight flickering in a wispy breeze,

Shadows at first distinct then blending together,

air is so precious one needs to bring one's own supply,

Sounds of machines moving, grinding,

Sounds of man grunting, moving, breathing,

Sounds that at first seem negligible,

Become,

Sounds of madness screaming out of silence,

This is the mine,

Why would you go into this place?

What does it contain that draws a man to its inner belly?

Why would anyone go into such a place?

What could you bring out that could be worth your soul,

Inside the dark chambers of the mine,

What will you find that

Will draw you back time after time,

Are their riches beyond belief?

Is that why you go,

What is so compelling about the mine?

Perhaps,

The mine provides an income for your family,

Without this income,

Your family would have less than what you now have,

What you now have is barely more than less,

Perhaps

The mine will provide a way out

If not for you,

For your children,

Perhaps

The mine provides you

With

A secret place to be yourself

Where

Who and what you are

Is OK.

Energy

For heating your home and your neighbor's home,

Food, clothing, shelter,

From employment in the mine,

Energy,

For industry,

Is it worth it?

Black lung brings death,

Black lung leaves families without hope,

What is the answer?

Is this too dark a picture?

Is their hope

In the mine?