On the way home from a visit to the doctor yesterday, I noticed an idle goose neck crane in Century City.
Charley and I saw 17 idle goose neck cranes along the Las Vegas Strip last month, and we had a construction worker-turned-cab driver pick us up his first day on the job. He had been laid off after 20 years.
Goose Eggs…..
Winter is the time of year we think of Christmas goose
Instead we see the goose-necked cranes coming home to roost
After wild abundance of the free spending economy
We find that we have overspent and lost financial harmony
The goose-necked cranes are standing still, stark against the skies
Over buildings not complete whose windows’ empty eyes
Look out on a different world than when the jobs began
And construction work was booming, following a plan
In other times, they did their dance and moved with awkward grace
And we would watch them lift and strain to put the beams in place
Now silently, they stand alone with empty hanging cables
While idle workers hope that they can put food on their tables
For those of us who still have jobs and wherewithal to live
This Christmas let’s remember those who do without and give
Our time and what we can afford to help them struggle through
With dreams and hopes that next year will bring better times anew
Dr. Hoult is the poet-in-residence for the newspaper. She lives in Carlson Park with her husband Charlie. She may be contacted at HOULTight@aol.com
