BLACKOUT
2 FAMILIES
BY CANDLE LIGHT


As we arrived at the writer’s home
There was a blackout
The neighborhood went dark
And we walked towards the open gate
Walked through the hallway
And entered the unlock front door
It was a metal door and the light bulbs
Were turning on & off

And the author was on the 2nd floor
And we were on the 1st floor
And he said he was going to
Come down shortly
He was encouraging his daughter
Against the dark and since the
Electric power was coming
In & out
I helped him unplugged his
Electronic appliances
First went the stereo
And then the refrigerator

And then I lit some candles
That were next to an icon of
The Theotokos
As my children played with toys
That were left on the sofa

Then he came down
With his son & daughter and a flashlight
And a DVD for me to borrow
And he said that it would be better
If all of us be together since
It was dark and we all agreed

I said it was just like in the movies
And I thought I saw him smile
And I smiled too trying to not to laugh

And we all sat at his table
And we were about to start playing Uno
When we heard noises coming
From the basement
Clicking noises as if someone
Was typing on a computer keyboard
That’s what the writer’s daughter said
And we all heard the clicking sound
But he could not hear it

And I thought it may be the breaker box
Flipping on & off
And the writer walked down to the basement
And the rest of us were
Waiting with playful anticipation
And when he returned he said
The scanner was on
And he shut it off

Then he opened the
Refrigerator and handed me
A 2X and he got and O’doul’s
For himself

And we began to play Uno
And my children liked the game
And I remembered how
To play because it had been
Many years since I last
Saw 1 of those card sets

We continue playing
And the lights
Kept turning off and on
And the children started
To fall asleep 1 at the time
And when we had 2 kids
Out of the game
We decided stop playing
And the lights were back on
We thank him
And said goodbye
We went home