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The Ironpourer

Hoist. Pour. Lower.

By MomentsPublished 4 years ago 2 min read
2
The Ironpourer

“I look for the sky in the distance, but its concealed by a roof. The Sunlight through the crevice is promise but the beams are bars.

Hoist. Pour. Lower.

Actions repeated for twelve mind-numbing hours everyday, without variance.

Three buttons chain my body and soul to the grueling redundancy of producing iron pipe.

Hoist. Pour. Lower.

In between more than two hundred repetitions of pouring five thousand pounds of molten iron, is the roaring churn of the machine racing up rails to swallow every drop of it.

Its mesmerizing.

Sometimes its mesmerizing to see the wonders of what men can conjure and and accomplish.

But most of the the time, it is as if the machine freezes me, even in the midst of twenty four hundred degree, liquefied metal.

The process ensures that I be still for the sake of its spell. Then...

Hoist. Pour. Lower.

Maybe if my pay would catch up with inflation I would embrace it as a good thing?

Hoist. Pour. Lower.

Maybe if thousands of employees were under my own billion dollar hex I would be proud of it?

Hoist. Pour. Lower.

I know! I could rise through the ranks and become a supervisor. That will boost my funds. It will take a lot more time away from my family life, but it's worth it, right?

Hoist. Pour. Lower.”- Chad Black

After careful consideration and hours of back and forth with myself I decided to step out of my comfort zone, put away my fear, and create without self imposed limitations. The Ironpourer and I share not only working quarters together; but also personal goals, uplifting motivation, and a passionate dislike for our job. The long and grueling hours in this abrasive environment requires a lot from us. We sacrifice time from our families, our physical bodies, and ultimately our sanity.

When allotted time off, which is a rarity , “The Ironpourer” enjoys writing and I enjoy photography. He tries to write his self out of his hell, while I, on the other hand try to picture myself out of mine. In the midst of sticking to our regularly scheduled program, I saw an “iron” opportunity to capture poetry in motion.

No that’s not it! Choose a better angle.

That’s more like it! Can you capture it with some of those twenty four hundred degree iron pellets flying at him!? Oh, and can you edit it in Adobe Lightroom? Take away some highlights, darken the shadows, add texture & clarity, and a little vignette.

That’s beautiful!

Looking at this photo that I took on my IPhone 11, (which is most definitely a firable offense) the action looks sublime in a sense. However, performing the task repeatedly everyday for a living can makes extremely jading. But the Ironpourer knows his duty.

Hoist. Pour. Lower.

Hoist. Pour. Lower.

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About the Creator

Moments

I am a Birmingham based photographer& filmmaker that loves the art of creating no matter what media is being used to bring dreams and visions to life. I try to spread love, joy, and positivity at all times; and especially through my work.

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