Sandy

I light a candle and
Crap in a Ziploc bag.
The building has no power
No water.
The elevator is stuck in the basement
Half filled with putrid water.
We all meet in 7B at the end the hallway
Because Ed and Jason have the large apartment on the floor.
We each bring a bottle of wine
Sit in their large room
Look out at the dark city.
Red wines mix well.
Soon we're asking Ed and Jason
Intimate questions
Like who's the catcher.
They laugh and say
They both catch.
After a while nothing matters.
We line up the empty wine bottles on the windowsill
Looking like so many dark skyscrapers

© Poem Fix http://www.poemfix.com 2012
Photo: David Shankbone

Lights Out

I have the only generator on the street.
When the lights went out last night
The neighborhood went black
But for my house,
Because I thought ahead,
Making the modest investment
After the last blast.
Do I have to control for other people's stupidity?
Everything happens in cycles.
Repetition is a driving force of nature.
My frozen food stays frozen.
Television brings images of local devastation.
Wife's hair blower
Blows.
My house has sadly become the local meeting place,
Everyone drawn to my illuminated lawn,
Not disguising their jealousy,
Hate in their eyes.
Marvin from the next block asks if he can charge his phone.
Now the schools are closed for a week.
My children rejoice.
I consent to hosting an all-neighborhood slumber party for the kids.
They're in the back room playing old-fashioned board games,
Which I was smart to save.
I look out my front window
Shotgun by my side,
Waiting for someone to come steal my power.

© Poem Fix http://www.poemfix.com 2012
Photo: 1997