It was a great job.
They kept telling
us how lucky
we were.
The pay.
The benefits
of radium
to the health.
We would switch
off the lights
and admire
ourselves
shimmering
in the darkness,
the luminous dust
frosting
us like pollen.
The dials
of our painted
clocks and watches
glowed
in the dark
also, but then
our teeth
began falling
out. The bone
of our jaws
disintegrated.
We walked with a limp.
Anemia. Sarcoma. Death.
Nevertheless,
our remaining
bones 
will continue
to shimmer
in the darkness
of our
coffins
long after 
we are gone.