{"id":5806,"date":"2024-08-31T05:35:28","date_gmt":"2024-08-31T09:35:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toppun.com\/blog\/?p=5806"},"modified":"2024-08-30T15:53:21","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30T19:53:21","slug":"poem-canary-in-a-coal-mine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toppun.com\/blog\/2024\/08\/31\/poem-canary-in-a-coal-mine\/","title":{"rendered":"POEM: Canary in a Coal Mine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Canaries were used in coal mines as an early detection system for toxic gasses. Canaries are particularly susceptible to methane and carbon monoxide. Canaries will get sick or die before it affects humans, miners. Still, the miners have to respect the vulnerability of the canaries, or they will suffer a similar fate.<\/p>\n

This poem plays with the notion that the most vulnerable among us serve as early warning signs of our common, shared fate. I mourn the fact that even when we possess such knowledge, we often only take the time and effort to be glad that we aren’t the vulnerable one at that given moment. This poem also includes a tip of the hat to Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Canary in a Coal Mine<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Don’t flip
\nThe bird
\nSinging that cagey song
\nLiving afar
\nDeeper than just
\nSix feet under
\nA mist
\nThat not sow
\nGentle rock
\nOf ages
\nFrom seeing
\nThe sun
\nBurning nigh
\nAnd wading for what
\nLife is
\nA gas
\nIn visibility
\nNo smell attest
\nAs time in memorial
\nThe bird flips off
\nAnd still
\nHowever unschooled
\nA miner gratitude
\nThat he’s not
\nA canary
\nIn what is
\nMine<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Canaries were used in coal mines as an early detection system for toxic gasses. Canaries are particularly susceptible to methane and carbon monoxide. Canaries will get sick or die before it affects humans, miners. Still, the miners have to respect … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,15],"tags":[255,359,502,529,514],"class_list":["post-5806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-poems","category-political-and-philosophical-musings","tag-gratitude","tag-life","tag-respect","tag-time","tag-vulnerability"],"yoast_head":"\nPOEM: Canary in a Coal Mine | Poems, Political and Philosophical Musings | Top Pun's Poetry, Funny Puns, Free Posters, Public Health Radio Show! %<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"POEM: Canary in a Coal Mine, Poems, Political and Philosophical Musings, Gratitude, Life, Respect, Time, Vulnerability Top Pun's Poetry, Funny Puns, Free Posters, Public Health Radio Show! %\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/toppun.com\/blog\/2024\/08\/31\/poem-canary-in-a-coal-mine\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Top Pun\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/toppun.com\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/31\\\/poem-canary-in-a-coal-mine\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/toppun.com\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/31\\\/poem-canary-in-a-coal-mine\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Top Pun\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/toppun.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/23524eae4bc27be85d1cdc01bc6d380e\"},\"headline\":\"POEM: Canary in a Coal Mine\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-31T09:35:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/toppun.com\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/31\\\/poem-canary-in-a-coal-mine\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":208,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/toppun.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/23524eae4bc27be85d1cdc01bc6d380e\"},\"keywords\":[\"Gratitude\",\"Life\",\"Respect\",\"Time\",\"Vulnerability\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Poems\",\"Political and Philosophical Musings\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/toppun.com\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/31\\\/poem-canary-in-a-coal-mine\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/toppun.com\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/31\\\/poem-canary-in-a-coal-mine\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/toppun.com\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/31\\\/poem-canary-in-a-coal-mine\\\/\",\"name\":\"POEM: Canary in a Coal Mine | Poems, Political and Philosophical Musings | Top Pun's Poetry, Funny Puns, Free Posters, Public Health Radio Show! 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