The thick calluses
On his hands
Didn't get there
By sitting and making plans.
Never went to college.
Didn't finish high school.
May have lacked an education,
But he was nobody's fool.
Wasn't averse to
Using a shovel
Or any hand tool.
He built more than muscle.
Paid for a house
For his family of five.
Working long hours
So, his family could thrive.
His kids always had clothes
And a good pair of shoes.
More than he had growing up.
But that is old news.
Drank his share of beer
With his friends at the bar.
But always made it home
Before going too far.
These were the men
That built our nation.
Fought in our wars.
They deserve acclamation.
The women, too
Kept the family going.
Life wasn't easy
At times foreboding.
So, don't think we're better
Because we have those degrees.
For these gutsy men and women
Were sturdy as oak trees.
YOU ARE READING
A Collection of Some of My Favorite Poems, Volume 7, Written by Dan Turner
PoetryThe poems in this collection were written in the winter of 2021-2022. They span a number of topics from Christmas and politics, to just things I thought about on the long cold winter nights in northeastern Nevada. The first poem in this series iro...
