Slim and mustached <br />Jerry sang his heart out <br />In bib overalls at his lathe – <br />The Mario Lanza of Kent-Moore Tools. <br /> <br />Ribbons of curled metal gathered at his feet <br />As he cut hard steel into usable parts. <br />He glanced at the prints, <br />Reset the turret to take a second pass <br />And belted out another chorus. <br /> <br />Jerry retro-dreamed of New York, <br />Of lessons, certificates, Juilliard <br />And arias finished with outstretched arms – <br />Visions derailed but unforgotten. <br /> <br />Global madness sent him instead to France. <br />With a pack and an M1 in place of scores <br />Jerry helped set Paris free <br />Yet never set foot on its stages. <br /> <br />Kent-Moore paid him well <br />And masked by din of colliding metal <br />Jerry sang and sang and sang all day <br />For rivet guns and turret lathes. <br />His voice would melt your heart.<br /><br />Robert Charles Howard<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/jerry-singing-at-his-lathe/
