Buck Helm was a rather adscript on the bridge that collapsed aboard Interstate 880 throughout the earthquake of October 21, 1989. He died quickly after a dramatic rescue. The poem is a tribute to him and the others caught inside the San Francisco earthquake.
The Ballad of Buck Helm
San Francisco is so elegant
Though it lies aboard the fault line
And onetime it is mentioned she'll fall into the ocean
But the buildings carry on rising
While the man of science hold surmising
Telling common people you need to keep upon your toes
The earthquake is a menace
And society can simply grimace
When the bottom begins to shake and does them in
But there was one who beat the percentages
And stayed alive to cheat the Gods
Or the Devil or whomever awaits one soul
On was a day not way back
The man of science mentioned I advised you so
As the earth started to shake and break into
The Bay Bridge shook and tumbled down
The Golden Gate by some means stayed sound
But the superhighway 880 was cursed woe
Buck had bimanual a journey on BART
Cause the collection was about to start out
And headed south on superhighway 880 at 5
At 5 O'four the bridge fell down
It will need to have made a atrocious sound
With concrete slabs and pilars flying back and forth
Newsman Dan got here on at first
Craving factors a powery thirst
And advised the nation that 1989's the one
The partitions had tumbled down like sticks
Same as ninteen hundred six
Leaving 1000's with out properties or place to go
Firemen ran to get their vans
Congress hurried to get some bucks
It would take ten billion {dollars} to make amends
But first there are lives to seek out and save
Buck was on the market someplace courageous
And cipher knew his whereabouts and work was gradual
Now in a New York City condo
Buck's ex-wife tho long departed
Heard the information and hurried to avoid wasting what's left for her
Maybe coverage was the rationale
Call it love or what's in season
Place your wager and pile the chips it is alone dough
Now the place he ate his pancakes buttered
Friends of his simply stared and muttered
If there may be one to flee the tomb it is our pal Buck
Families wept and stayed close by
Pasters prayed and questioned why
But hope for all multiplication among the many concrete piers was low
As the hours grew damp and dreary
A lonely volunteer, although weary
Stayed to look an area up to now once again inside the ruins
At first he detected a head protruding
Then in the end a hand extruding
Lucky Bucky as his pals referred to as him was stowed
Back busy his pals had been down
Then the information a joyful sound
Buck had bid the mortal upstairs to skip his flip
The dock was fairly then burst in weeping
It power have been 1,000,000 years
When 4 days later he emerged to stage his present
Lucky Bucky's waving slowly
To the group that gathered alone
Just to see the mortal who made the headline information
And his ex-wife's now on the town
She's really easy to be discovered
With her weeping and ears and fears
She's all a glow
Now the stroy has an ending
Buck is slowly sure mending
And the radios are taking part in out his track
Here's a mortal unknown until now
Though an american and the way
He's the hero of the individuals who want one so
San Francisco is so elegant
Though it lies aboard the fault line
And onetime it is mentioned she'll fall into the ocean
But the buildings carry on rising
While the man of science hold surmising
Telling common people you need to keep upon your toes
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