steriojoe2025 featuring AI Gemini

Rocks and bricks, yet it had to be coal,
150 pennies after a week of bending the back,
Revolution filtering in taking bobs from the littleness,
6 miles sifting the sea, then the decline over time,
Jobs frizzled out, and the miners are hurting,
Black dusty cream faded away,
But don’t go away.
When the universe took a picture,
Classes of scripture while the young un clocks reality,
Those nieve paintings of clippy mats,
Busing the people out in their day,
Without this, history will loose,
Paper back writers lantron guide,
Boxing 8 hitting the target grange,
Bowling a tall story right on the jack,
Community of socialism eaten by cake,
The Lass at the helm navigational see’s,
Coalmining 50 fathoms down,
The records convey miss-imformation,
A loss in a national old race,
Just fading youth as the matter doesn’t matter,
Nature’s rust grafting away, just 1 day.
Coming as an alternative for digital “blues”

Poem by @steriojoe
Images by @steriojoe

AI Geminis full in-depth interpretation of my poem and images.

That is a fantastic request, combining your evocative poem with a set of rich, themed images. The poem and the photographs clearly connect to the industrial and social history of the North East of England, likely centering on a place like Beamish Museum, given the collection of historic artifacts and scenes.

​Here is a full, in-depth interpretation of your poem and images, divided by theme.

​️ Interpretation of the Images and Poem

​The central theme is the decline of industrial heritage (specifically coal mining) and the preservation of memory through museums and cultural efforts. The contrast between the dark, gritty images of the mine and the recreated, brighter social scenes encapsulates this tension between hard reality and nostalgic remembrance.

​1. The Reality of Coal Mining and Decline

​(Images: 1000002689.jpg, 1000002721.jpg, 1000002724.jpg, 1000002723.jpg)

• ​Poem Lines:
  • ​“Rocks and bricks, yet it had to be coal,”
  • ​“150 pennies after a week of bending the back,”
  • ​“6 miles sifting the sea, then the decline over time,”
  • ​“Jobs frizzled out, and the miners are hurting,”
  • ​“Coalmining 50 fathoms down,”
• ​Image Connection: These images show the dark, tight, wet conditions of the mine shaft, the rough-hewn coal and support timbers, and the conveyor/trough used to move materials. Image 1000002723.jpg shows an obsolete, rusting piece of surface mining equipment (likely an air receiver or boiler), symbolizing the end of an era and nature reclaiming industry.
• ​Interpretation: This section highlights the back-breaking labor and paltry pay (150 pennies, or £1.50) that the miners endured. The reference to “6 miles sifting the sea” likely refers to deep sea-coal mining prevalent in the region. The core sadness is the “frizzled out” jobs and the subsequent economic and emotional pain (“miners are hurting”) that followed the industry’s collapse.

​2. Community, Nostalgia, and Social Change

​(Images: 1000002727.jpg, 1000002731.jpg, 1000002730.jpg, 1000002726.jpg, 1000002725.jpg)

• ​Poem Lines:
  • ​“Revolution filtering in taking bobs from the littleness,”
  • ​“Classes of scripture while the young un clocks reality,”
  • ​“Busing the people out in their day,”
  • ​“Community of socialism eaten by cake,”
  • ​“The Lass at the helm navigational see’s,”
• ​Image Connection:
  • ​1000002727.jpg (The old double-decker bus, likely a Guy Arab, featuring “Shop at Binns”) represents the public transport and the commercial life of the community.
  • ​1000002726.jpg (The old schoolroom) and 1000002725.jpg (The large magic lantern/projector) depict the education and entertainment of the time.
  • ​1000002731.jpg (The woman in period dress by the desk with police helmets) and 1000002730.jpg (The trophy reflection) speak to local governance, order, and community pride (like a sports trophy).
• ​Interpretation: The “Revolution” is both industrial change and economic policy that eroded small-scale wealth (“taking bobs from the littleness”). The line about “Community of socialism eaten by cake” is particularly sharp, suggesting that the strong communal spirit, often associated with mining culture and solidarity (socialism), was ultimately dissolved or diluted by prosperity, consumerism, or perhaps just the sheer passage of time and loss of identity. The “Lass at the helm” could be a tribute to the women who often guided and held the family/community together.

​3. Art, Memory, and Preservation

​(Image: 1000002722.jpg)

• ​Poem Lines:
  • ​“Black dusty cream faded away, / But don’t go away.”
  • ​“When the universe took a picture,”
  • ​“Those nieve paintings of clippy mats,”
  • ​“Without this, history will loose,”
  • ​“Coming as an alternative for digital ‘blues’”
• ​Image Connection: Image 1000002722.jpg is a long, colourful mural depicting a scene of community life, industry, and banners against a backdrop that appears to be a castle or factory complex. This is the act of preservation itself—the story told through art.
• ​Interpretation: The “Black dusty cream” is the memory of coal, which is “fading away,” yet the speaker pleads for it to remain. The “nieve paintings of clippy mats” (likely a reference to North East folk crafts) contrast the harsh industrial life with the simple, domestic art created by the people. The museum (or the ‘History swop meet’) serves as the essential vessel: Without this, history will lose its grip on reality. The final line brilliantly positions this historical immersion as a therapeutic break from modern life—an “alternative for digital ‘blues’.”

​4. Sporting and Local Identity (The Specificity)

• ​Poem Lines:
  • ​“Boxing 8 hitting the target grange,”
  • ​“Bowling a tall story right on the jack,”
• ​Interpretation: These lines root the poem firmly in local culture, referencing popular working-class sports like boxing and bowls (or ‘Jack’). This highlights that the former industrial life was not just toil, but also a culture rich with local competition and shared pastime.

​✍️ Summary of the Core Message

​Your combined poem and image set function as a powerful, personal elegy to the Industrial North East.

​The overall message is a reflection on the cost of progress and the necessity of memory. It acknowledges the harsh, low-wage reality of the past while mourning the loss of the strong community and sense of identity that was forged in the fire of that industry.

​The images stand as proof of the past, while the poem wrestles with how to keep that history relevant, valuable, and therapeutic in the modern, digital age.