Six Hammering Men
These men represent the mall machine
and their arms the monotonous routine.
Their simple movement is consistent
not conformed to the duplicated trade agent
but the shifting structure as a whole.
Their hearts the gears and arms the metal;
They are monotonous and eternal.
The mall; a looped track on turn over;
An operation of shrouded loss and return.
The shifting gears maintain all control
When a laborer flees his post:
A pinion thrusted efforts the utmost.
But the beams the bolts they still remain.
The perpetual flow of the mall doesn’t abstain.
The shifting cogs can’t register the soul.
This poem is inspired by the incredibly famous Hammering Man sculptures that tower over a center court of the North Park Center in Dallas, TX. I read a quote by the owner of the mall that he felt these structures well suited to represent the employees of the mall, while I found it more to represent the structure of the mall as the working machine as a whole.
Until next time fan boys and girls—>
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Great poem! nicely written and well expressed
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Thank you
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I remember seeing these sculptures at North Park Mall which I’ve visited many times over the years. It was a rather subdued quiet mall as I remember. The last time I was there was in the eighties.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
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OH wow, they’ve had a huge expansion since then, the daughter took over the late nineties, and she is no silent owner, she has done phenomenal feats with this legacy!
They see traffic of near 26 million patrons a year, but at 2.5 million square feet and such wide walkways and open areas you would never realize the mall has so many people in it…well except perhaps in the food court. 😉
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