Claudia, at dVerse Poetics, has invited us to write about something or someone we’ve seen. All I’m going to tell you is this poem is part fiction, part fact; I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.
Then the Scream
The saw whined a steady rhythm
And every thirty seconds; uncanny, his timing
It screamed like he thought he would
If he had to do this one more day
Slide the length of tube steel
Listening to the whine of years gone by
Muffled, through the rubber earplugs
Then the scream, as if from another dimension
Slide the length of tube steel
Thinking about the constant collection calls
Demands muffled by disappointment and time
Then the scream, seeming a little louder this time
Slide the length of tube steel
Hearing the door slam shut
Muffled by her words, and I’m taking the kids
Then the scream, as tears dimmed his eyes
Slide the length of tube steel
Watching the spray of blood on the wall
The finger flying in slow motion
Then the scream
Copyright © 2012 C. Mashburn
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Marbles In My Pocket ~ The Official Blog of Charles L. Mashburn ~ Poems, Short Stories, and random thoughts from the author of "Be Still... and know that I am God" 
Claudia said
ugh i can feel this…tight write charles..and great mix of the visible and emotions..
charlesmashburn said
Thank you, Claudia. I appreciate the great comment!
Daydreamertoo said
Ouch!
One of my step-fathers friends was a carpenter, and he used to work with those big saws. At individual times, he lost the tops of three of his fingers on his left hand through that. How sad to loose his wife and children. This is very graphic and so well described.
charlesmashburn said
A carpenter installing doors for me on a project cut his finger off while I was at lunch. I came back to find blood all over the floor and walls, and the finger on the floor. GAK!
Thanks for the visit and comment!
wolfsrosebud said
it hurts… sad… my cuz lost three to a saw by a distraction from his wife… he finally lost her and the kids for awhile… he past last fall… perhaps the pain is over now
charlesmashburn said
How sad. I’m sorry to hear this poem has real meaning to you.
Thanks for the comment.
Heaven (@asweetlust) said
What a sad and bloody ending to a life full of disappointment and regrets ~
charlesmashburn said
Many industrial accidents are caused when minds are troubled and not focused on the dangerous task at hand.
Thanks for the visit and comment.
Mary said
This is frightfully and bloodily intense, Charles. I am glad I don’t know exactly what is true and what is fiction. Yikes. I hope no one died.
charlesmashburn said
No one died.
Thank you for the visit and comment.
Sherry Mashburn said
WOW!! Such quiet desperation.
charlesmashburn said
Yes, and unfortunately, many times the desparation does not show, and we can’t do anything to help.
ManicDdaily said
Agh, Charles. All too real. Very captivating. A part of me thinks it would be just as strong without the finger–just the back and forth of the saw and his life – but I’m sure that’s also how these kinds of accidents happen.
I went to a U-Pick once near College Station/Bryan (where my brother lives). A lot of fun. We picked strawberries then made tons of jam. I agree that wild berries, which is what we have in Upstate New York, are better, but that was a lot of fun too. k.
charlesmashburn said
Actually, when I started writing the poem, the finger was not a part of it; the poem kind of got a life of its own toward the end. I agree with you; it would have been powerful without that part.
I’ll bet you went to the same one we went to; south of CS on highway 6. E&B Orchards. They have blackberries and peaches.
A side note: several years ago, my son owned a home in Seattle. Wild blackberry bushes lined one side of the drive, and he cut them all down; said they were a nuisance!
ManicDdaily said
I’ve heard of such insanity! They do go through cycles I think. We had a lot of bushes that we suspected were taken out by a farmer that also uses the field, but there may be other factors – beetles descended a few years ago – and trees grow higher in places, shading them. Luckily, we have found new outcroppings this year in a place we had not tried before. k.
charlesmashburn said
Sounds awesome. I don’t know of any places they grow wild around here. Enjoy!
brian miller said
this is rather haunting man…on one level the monotonous work, been there worked a few factory jobs…her taking the kids makes me sad…the spray of blod vivid…the cutting off of an appendage, seen it before…brutal….
charlesmashburn said
I had a good visual to start with, and have been around a couple of limb loss incidents (still have all mine), so I was able to visualize this one as I wrote it. The taking the kids, and bills stacked up, just fits the theme of how life can blindside you, and seems to like to kick you when your down.
Thanks, Brian.
janehewey said
as if from another dimension. wow. vivid and alarming. ouch.I keep going back to your opening in this one. you capture the feel quite effectively.
charlesmashburn said
Took the scene–the guy at the saw–from a movie, but I know lots of people work at jobs like that every day, year after year. Personally, I couldn’t do it; the monotony would drive me crazy.
Thanks for the comment, Jane.
Raivenne said
Stark, vivid – you do know how Robert hold an audience. “And I’m taking…”Cruel as one can easily see the reality of such a scenario.
charlesmashburn said
Yes’m, it is an all too believable situation.
Thanks, Raivenne.
Raivenne said
Oopsie! How does “to really” translates to “Robert” ?-I have no idea. Hail the spellchecker!
charlesmashburn said
hahahaha! Thank you! I thought maybe “Robert” was code for something I knew nothing about, but figured it was okay.
Susan said
Just as I was convinced this was an inner life of a worker and not the movie SAW, the scream becomes about a lost finger and a spray of blood! Powerful images. I find it unbearable to be next to that sound for 1/2 of a day, never mind a life time of labor. You answer questions about thinking and can it be maintained and the constant punctuation of everything. Your poem reminds me of the old scifi short by Kurt Vonnegut, “Harrison Bergeron.” DO you know the story/film?
charlesmashburn said
The name, “Bergeron”, (although, it sounds a lot like Algernon) sounds vaguely familiar, so I may have seen the film sometime in the past. When I was writing this and came to the vision blurred by tears, I realized he was about to have an accident. I’ve used power saws all my life, and I’ve come close to harm many times; usually because I wasn’t paying close attention to what I was doing. You cannot allow your mind to wander when using a spinning blade that is capable of cutting through metal.
Thanks, Susan.
Bodhirose said
Sounds like someone at the end of his rope…tragic!
charlesmashburn said
Maybe not at the end, but definitely frayed.
Thanks!
kaykuala said
There seems to be a lot of trying times impacting on one another. They may well be talking, bury the hatchet and find ways of agreement. There would certainly be less screaming or none! A chapter in modern living that happens sometimes. Great write Charles!
Hank
charlesmashburn said
Thank for the visit and comment, Hank!
becca givens said
OH MY!!! I’m scrunching all my digits together … I know this happens more than it should!!! Very real — well done! 😀
charlesmashburn said
Yes, it happens way more than we can imagine.
Thanks for the visit and comment, Becca!