1.
hard hat
gun war
Great Depression
old
grandfather
he went to war
he was a driver
he smoked Three
Kings tobacco
roll-your-owns
his hands built his own castle
memories of old England
many nails
red paint
strong stiff upper lip
hard
times
his lips would bleed
every time he ate
an ice-block
/
this battleship grey nail head
reminds me of a war helmet
2.
hard hat
nail gun
Global Recession
young
husband
he lived on a farm
in the King Country
he drank Waikato
with his mates
& Willie
his hands built his own house
with number eight wire & fence posts
many nails
green paint
strong stiff upper lip
hard
times
his feet are sore
from walking around
in steel-capped boots all day
/
this construction site
is kind of like a mine field
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Poetry Out West 