William Saphier. The Night Shift. Alfred Kreymborg, ed. 1920. Others for 1919

Alfred Kreymborg, ed. Others for 1919. 1920.

The Night Shift

By William Saphier


THEY are like pick axes,
they never argue,
and never smile.
They tramp through the darkness
to work.	5
They tramp through the darkness
home to sleep.
They are like pick axes,
and with solemn faces
go through glass and iron	10
and through cement.
With their hard hands
they kill the night.
They are like pick axes,
they never worry,	15
and never think, is it wrong.
If it is,
they will make a good job of it.
They move like fate
and each hides a scar,	20
somewhere in the night,
and tells the world
to go to hell.