Elias Crane

At morrow cut The powder flashed Then daylight Turned to red A curtain filled The limestone seam And breathed Above their heads Elias Crane Looked through the fold His lantern Burned sea green He came back Speaking two replies To questions still unseen Count nine at morrow cut Press iron To your tongue The tenth knock Travels through the ground And answers From your lungs Three men came In ash-grey coats Unrolled a scarlet skin Hey drove black rivets Through the chalk And signed no ledger line When blasting whistles Shook the roofs His second voice would speak It counted backward under him From ten and stopped at three Count nine at morrow cut Press iron to your tongue The tenth knock travels Through the ground And answers From your lungs