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This factual mining poem about the role of the canary in Victorian mines uses personification and metaphors to describe the way a miner felt about these life-saving birds.
He’s with me always, by my side.
My friend, protector and my guide.
He is my life, my hope, my breath
For he detects the smell of death.
The gas that through the tunnel spills
And in a single moment kills
Is stripped of all its power and force
By my canary friend, of course!
Who would have thought a tiny bird
Could mean so much? It’s so absurd.
And yet my safety so relies
Upon this angel in disguise!
Did you know that until 1986, miners in the UK were still using canaries to detect dangerous gases under-ground? These tiny birds are so sensitive that the smallest amount of gas would cause them to faint and fall from their perch, giving the miners immediate warning of the dangers and giving them chance to escape the tunnel. The miners became quite attached to these life saving birds, and often would enjoy their singing as they worked.
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