Storm Warnings

I draw the curtains as the sky goes black
And set a match to candles sheathed in glass
Against the keyhole draught, the insistent whine
Of weather through the unsealed aperture.
This is our sole defense against the season;
These are the things we have learned to do
Who live in troubled regions. -Adrienne Rich

Not Again. Yes. Again.

(lovely photograph by Virginia Gálvez)

NB--Power didn't go out during a storm; oh no. It went out at 12.03am when all was as quiet as a mouse. I intend to mount a public campaign to force Potomac Electric Power Company to reduce bills, issue reimbursement vouchers for perishables, especially for those of us on fixed incomes. Also to reimburse diabetics, & others who must use refrigerated medicines. I shall think of my opening gambit tomorrow afternoon. I shall spend all of August on it, if need be.

Fifteen+ years of unreliable service is enough. Hurricanes, etc. yes. I understand; but if the basic integrity of the structure is not maintained, this is what we get. Unacceptable. This is war. Power companies should not make profits; they cannot be responsible to shareholders & public safety simultaneously. I have finally convinced a few former colleagues of this FACT. The fact that I live in liberal Maryland might help. Watch out PEPCO--you finally snapped my last nerve. Just now.