Power Failure
The light in the bathroom didn’t work.
I was just waking up.
The UPS on the computer
Was beeping its fail song.
No storm, just the power company
Working on the wires.
Out in the barn, the generator
Started right up in a cloud of smoke.
Back in the house everything worked
For a few minutes until we noticed
The light in the refrigerator was off
And the UPS was beeping again.
Had the breakers fried? Did a surge
Burn out the wires in the wall?
No power on half the circuits.
Perhaps a breaker blew on the generator.
Trudging back out to the barn
Cursing the power company
With a flashlight and a circuit tester.
No, it was not a breaker.
Yes, half the generator was out.
Either the breaker broke
Or the windings burned.
Good thing the generator
Was still under warranty.
Back in the house I checked the power.
Edison was back online.
I switched over to the mains
Then went back out to the barn
And shut off the failed generator.
Tractor Supply traded in the broken unit
For a fresh model.
I set up the new generator this afternoon
And we are all ready for the next power outage.
