Anne Kellas #6, Solar letter (for Susan Hawthorne, re #12 when the power goes out)

When the power goes out, my friend
cooks her food in a solar oven
out the back, where some vegetables
battle their way through long summers.
In winter it's a different story.

I think a lot about how I will contact her
when the power goes out, she in her wheelchair,
me in my study, half a planet apart.
Satellites blink at us.
Checking devices for news.

I hope the stamps on my letters
will not be torn off mid-way.
I wish her cloudless days
and rain for her crops – at night
of course. And dare I add, a warm winter.