Storm Poetry

I am part of an Austin poetry group and several of us wrote poems related to the storm and its aftermath. Here is mine:

Innocence Lost

They said:

“Reduce your power consumption.”

As if we could hope to steal

a Promethean spark

from the grid gods,

smug in their unregulated hubris

They said:

“Boil your water.”

As if we could magically

conjure its unsolid version

from frozen pipes

not already broken and emptied

They said:

“Trust us.”

As if a hell-frozen-over-Texas

could ever inspire such fealty.

Trust them?

No, never again.