November 21st, 1965
Ollie Combs stood up for what she believed in
Or rather, she sat for it, right in front of a dozer
Meant to strip mine on her farm, take away the
Lush greenery for the profits of a coal hungry
Nation run by greed and lined pockets and not
By integrity; The Widow spent Thanksgiving in
Her jail cell, locked away for refusing to let that
Dozer through based on a deed that said she had
No rights to what sat beneath the farm rich land
Mineral rights, the broad form deed, a way to put
Profit over people, time and time again, a signature
All it took to strip away your livelihood for a rich-
man’s dollar, one piece of paper and a trace of coal
Twenty-two years slipped by of protests and hardship
Twenty-two years since Ollie “Widow” Combs put her
Life in front of that dozer to save her farm, her family
Twenty-two years too long, but not for Ollie Combs who
Never gave in to the black gold beneath her feet; not one
inch; she stood strong, took her stand, and won the battle,
hard fought, against Falcon Coal; an Appalachian heroine
2 thoughts on "November 21st, 1965"
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
What a honorable way to tell her story. I loved it.
Her story is amazing!