from The Book of the Dead: Absalom

I first discovered what was killing these men. I had three sons who worked with their father in the tunnel: Cecil, aged 23, Owen, aged 21, Shirley, aged 17. They used to work in a coal mine, not steady work for the mines were not going much of the time. A power Co. foreman learned that we made home brew, he formed a habit of dropping in evenings to drink, persuading the boys and my husband — give up their jobs and take this other work. It would pay them better. Shirley was my youngest son; the boy. He went into the tunnel. My heart     my mother     my heart     my mother My heart     my coming into being.