The Explosion

On the day of the explosion Shadows pointed towards the pithead: In thesun the slagheap slept. Down the lane came men in pitboots Coughing oath-edged talk and pipe-smoke Shouldering off the freshened silence. One chased after rabbits; lost them; Came back with a nest of lark's eggs; Showed them; lodged them in the grasses. So they passed in beards and moleskins Fathers brothers nicknames laughter Through the tall gates standing open. At noon there came a tremor; cows Stopped chewing for a second; sun Scarfed as in a heat-haze dimmed. The dead go on before us they Are sitting in God's house in comfort We shall see them face to face-- plian as lettering in the chapels It was said and for a second Wives saw men of the explosion Larger than in life they managed-- Gold as on a coin or walking Somehow from the sun towards them One showing the eggs unbroken.