Buck Helm was one of those trapped on the bridge that collapsed along Interstate 880 during the October 21, 1989 earthquake. He died shortly after a dramatic rescue. The poem is a tribute to him and the others caught in the San Francisco earthquake.
The Ballad of Buck Helm
San Francisco is so sublime
Though it lies along the fault line
And someday it is said that it will fall into the sea
But the buildings keep going up
As the scientist keeps guessing
Telling people to be vigilant
The earthquake is a threat
And society can make a face
When the ground starts to shake and makes them in
But there was one that beat the odds
And stayed alive to fool the gods
Or the devil or who waits for a soul
We went one day not long ago
The scientist said I told you so
When the earth began to shake and break in
The bay bridge shook and collapsed
The Golden Gate somehow held its ground
But the 880 freeway was cursed with pain
Buck had a ride on the BART
Because the series was about to begin
And I headed south on Highway 880 at five
At five in the afternoon the bridge fell
Must have made a horrible sound
With concrete slabs and pillars flying from side to side
Journalist Dan came in at the beginning
The craving signals a great thirst
And told the nation that 1989 is the only one
The walls had collapsed like sticks
Same as nineteen hundred and six
Leaving thousands with no home and no place to go
The firefighters ran to get their trucks
Congress rushed to get some money
It would take ten billion dollars to make amends
But first there are lives to find and save
Buck was somewhere brave
And no one knew his whereabouts and work was slow
Now in a New York City apartment
Buck’s ex-wife, long gone
I heard the news and rushed to save what was left
Maybe insurance was the reason
Call it love or what’s in season
Place your bet and stack the chips, it’s just dough
Now where did he eat his buttered pancakes
His friends just stared and murmured
If there is one to escape from the grave it is our friend Buck
Families cried and stayed close
Pasters prayed and wondered why
But the life expectancy between the concrete piers was low
As the hours turned damp and gloomy
A lonely volunteer, though tired
I stayed to look for a space so far back in the ruins.
At first he saw a protruding head
Then at last, a hand extruding
Lucky Bucky, as his friends called him, was saved
Back at work, his friends were depressed
Then the news a joyful sound
Buck had asked the man upstairs to skip his turn
The pier broke into tears
It could have been a million years
When four days later he went out to put on his show
Lucky Bucky greets slowly
To the crowd that only gathered
Just to see the man who made the news headlines
And his ex wife is now in town
She is so easy to find
With their tears and ears and fears
She is all a blaze
Now the stroy has an ending
Buck is slowly recovering
And the radios are playing their song
Here is a man unknown until now
Although he is an American and how
He is the hero of the people who need him
San Francisco is so sublime
Though it lies along the fault line
And someday it is said that it will fall into the sea
But the buildings keep going up
As the scientist keeps guessing
Telling people to stay alert
