These Hands Deserve Respect

He shoves himself in depths of abyss

He sweats it out for a bumper yield

He grapples with guck inside gutters

He bricks up bricks in hostile extremes

Not a day of respite, two meals a luxury

He kills his dreams, he conceals his sores

Scraping together meagre wages

His life moves on in cramped holes

Poverty stricken debt-ridden

Stalked by tomorrow of uncertainty

His days foggy, his nights nightmare

He lives a life of anonymity

Labour Day First May

Just one day of recognition

Looked down upon, undermined

He lives a life of exploitation

Heartfelt gratitude to HANDS

That haul and plough and till

That mend and sweep and mill

That are hardened and scorched

Hands that are sooty and botched

A big salute to the labour class

Huge respect to slogging souls

It's for their sweat and blood

It's for sake of those we berate

There is a diamond in my ring

There is a roof over my head

And there is food on my plate