"Power Out" Poem

Source: Peace of Preparedness

My children woke the other morn.
“Dad! Mom! There’s something wrong!
There’s no heat in the heaters
And the TV won’t go on.
 The bathroom light won’t function.
Is it just the bulb that’s old?
Nothing in this whole house works.
It’s drafty and it’s cold!”

I rose in semi-stupor.
Stubbed my toe against a chair.
“I ought to have a candle.
I know there’s one somewhere.”
 “Fear not,” I told my children.
“We’ll weather out the storm
Because we have a fireplace
To keep us somewhat warm.”

“We’re hungry, Mom. Where’s breakfast?
Could you make us something hot?”
We piled logs in the fireplace
And then … a sudden thought:
 When cooking in a fireplace
What things should I acquire?
Just how long would my frypans last
Atop an open fire?

Within the house a fire glowed
Outside was cold and bleak.
Our meager wood and coal supplies
Would last about a week.
 “Hooray! Hooray!” the children cried.
“Oh, this is really neat!”
I thought, “It’s good we have our food.
For a year, at least, we’ll eat.”

The baby needed to be changed
And then the thought did strike:
However would I launder clothes
To keep them clean and bright?
Assuming I had water,
A fire and a pan …
I’d hate to have to wash and wring
Those diapers out by hand.

We’ve always stored some water
In an emptied-out bleach jug.
We opened up a gallon,
Poured it out to drink and … ugh!

I’d also filled some fruit jars
With the water from the sink.
It was processed in my canner
And was easier to drink.

“My mittens need repairing.”
“There’s a button off this dress.”
I’ve stored buttons, thread, and needles,
Extra fabric, and I guess
I could darn most things quite handily
From socks right up to suits.
But suppose the broken item
Was a pair of leather boots?

I have lots of baking soda
For all its many uses.
From toothpaste and a cleanser
To the cookies it produces.
I’ve string and twine and medicines,
And ammonia to help me cope
With cleaning up the dirt and germs.
But how did pioneers make soap?

I must save my old newspapers.
(Might there be a paper ration?)
They’re used for wrapping garbage
And make good insulation.
Soak the papers in detergent,
Roll them into logs, then dry.
They will give a bright, warm fire,
An almost free supply.

I must have thought of everything.
Oh, no.
 ne thing can spoil it.
I have the toilet paper,
But what about the toilet?

That night we piled into our beds.
“It’s cold! The wind! It blows!
How nice hot water bottles would feel
Against our frozen toes.”

Next day I woke up early,
And the crisis was long gone.
Everything was back to normal—
Even the TV set was on.
Water dripped into the sinks,
The downstairs lights all burned.
It was nice to have them on again
After the lessons that we’d learned.

Though yesterday was trying,
Its troubles had been shared.
Our family had decided
That we’d better get prepared.
Some folks might think we’re silly,
Like whistling in the dark.
Still, we know it wasn’t raining
When Noah built his ark.