We Need Power

A News Response Poem

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We need power she says
We're in the dark

The power is out he says
We lost power 

We’ve been without power 
Four days Four months 

For years 
For centuries

Did we ever truly
Have power 

We need power now
Right now she says
  
Not tomorrow 
Not next week

We can’t wait any longer
We need power

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Author’s Note: I was listening to a newscast on TV tonight and a woman kept repeating “We need power. We don’t have power. We need power.” She was referring to damage incurred in this week’s hurricane, but the helplessness and desperation in her voice were universal and suggested something much larger than electricity.

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Iowa Writers Collaborativ