Powerless
Empty calm descends
Upon the cooling house
As motors cease to hum
Falling into solemn stillness
Sudden TV and radio silence
Reduced to muted dumbness
With regular bulletins
hushed
Amid the sudden rush
To join the armistice
Of unexpected quiet
Within the working day
Juice no longer in the
wires
Plastic plugs and sockets
Stand redundant
Clunky, hard, dead things
Lying there unused,
discarded
Their life-force deserted
Retreated down the circuit
Beyond a small switch far
away
No longer any motive power
Nor easy electronic force
No pumps or ticking timers
No clocks or blinking lights
Alarms disabled, motors
crippled
Equipment and components
Lie unmoving
As if awaiting further instructions
Then ensues a deathly hush
Through cold and empty rooms
Broken only by a ticking
mantel clock
Driven by its tensioned
spring
Beating out the passing
time
In the darkened gloom
As the quiet settles
Heavy as a layer of dust
With almost a presence of
its own
Copyright Andy Fawthrop 2021
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