Tears wash down the stone face
Rain upon cold grey,
A reminder of the tragedy
That struck! that fateful day.

Standing in the circle,
With tears in their eyes,
Are bosses of a company
That tell a thousand lies.

Stone on stone piled upwards,
Each for one life lost.
Dust filled air, a huge explosion!
Today, who counts the cost?

The price of coal is high -
Worth far more than men.
Are we now to see a tragedy
Unfolding once again?

Pollution!--- unseen killer,
Poisons all our lives.
Who then will build a pyramid
That reaches to the skies?

Gaynor Ball - 2006

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Gaynor explains the background to her poem:

"Parc Slip mine, Friday, 26th August 1892. At approximately 8.20am a huge explosion occurred, the ground shaking for 4 miles around. 112 men and boys died.

"The Parc Slip memorial consists of 112 stones - one for every death.

"I wrote this poem after reading that the long awaited fountain, promised over a decade ago, has finally been switched on. This was funded by Celtic Energy, a private opencast company.

"It will wash over the stones to represent tears for the dead."

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The Parc Slip site is now a nature park - for details see the website of The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales.