Preparedness - Poem

At night, 

as stars are in full sight,

as children sleep under eye,

of watchful guardians safe and dry,

in the woods the beasts are found

on all fours they howl and bound,

in the distance they are heard,

far away, you're not concerned.

Every day your neighbor toils,

He chops, he grows, he sows, he soils.

All you do is relax and smile,

'summertime will last a while.'

'The days are long, the nights are short,

I have tomorrow for work of this sort.'

Sure enough tomorrow comes,

but to quiet nights you will not succumb.

The evenings creep and spread and seep.

The nights grow dark and burrow on deep.

The timbers quake and floor boards creek,

as winds grow stronger week by week.

Still there are berries on some trees,

'that will be just enough for me'

Pick what little ration you can,

Winter's wrath is soon on hand.

Your children cry and weep and beg,

they are too hungry to go to bed.

The neighbors door is locked and sound,

no one else is seen around.

The howling beasts they snarl but are merry,

'thank you so much for filling our belly'

'None of your friends would let us enter,

but lucky for us, you made our shelter.'